To Melt a Heart of Ice
by TrinityValhalla
Summary: When a young girl is thrown into the impossible and taken in by no other than the desert's very own demon, Gaara of the Sand, will she be able to carry on? How will she manage to squeeze into his heart? And will the secrets of her lost memories show her the way to her destiny? A Gaara/O.C. paring
1. Step One

"B-but mama!?" she cried, not wanting to leave her mother, or her mother to leave her, nor her father to leave, as well. Tears weld up in her eyes as they left her in the dark, desolate room all alone with some other children.

Her home, the Kingdom of Twilight, was under attack. And every eligible ninja was ordered to help defend the palace, and all it's surroundings. The Kingdoms of Light and Darkness were the ones attacking her. Her - and them... her parents.

As she stayed in the safety of the hidden room, with the other children, she heard battle cries and cries that only reaches a persons' lips once - when they die.

Outside, through a crack in the wall, she saw large, aggressive flames licking the cloudy night sky outside, eating at the houses, and the trees, and the walkways.

Awhile had past. The tears in her eyes had finally fell, as she saw both her parents drop lifelessly to their knees, then face first into the ground.

One of the older children, about six or seven, grabbed for her wrist as she mindlessly bolted for the door, but missed his mark.

She got out of the den, and caught eye of the man who had just murdered her parents, and charged.

No weapon.

No knowledge of the ninja art.

Absolutely nothing.

Only the skills of a small five-year-old girl, and the burning tears that still fell form her eyes. The man saw her, and smiled with devilish delight, taking out his kunai and shurikun and senbon. And just as she was about a foot away from him, a bright maroon sphere erupted around her, ejecting itself at the man.

And that was the last she saw... of anything...

Them.

The fire.

Anybody, and anything.

She awoke, covered in ash, and possessing a bad cough. Everything was... destroyed. Nothing survived... but she...

No houses.

No people.

Nothing...

Standing up, the small child noticed that even the grand castle of the once great kingdom had fallen. More tears welled up in her eyes. She, the only survivor of the legendary Twilight Kingdom...

Staggering through the streets, some remaining smoke and ash blew over the town, covering her in a gush of dirt and smoldered wood. The sound of a foot step behind her caused her to turn violently in that direction.

Crunch..

Crunch...

A man in a clean white suit slowly surveyed the area, and when his eyes reached her, they froze. She couldn't see his face, which somewhat frightened her, dark shades over his eyes. With slow, deliberate steps, he walked over to the girl, grabbing her arm.

She could only sense the smirk of success on his lips. Two more men walked toward her and the man, these ones dressed in black.

"We have found her," said the man whom was holding her.

Suddenly, her head became dizzy..

Light-headed.

Queezey.

Groggy.

And then awoke once more. This time... in a glass tank. She rose to her feet, steadying herself on the wall it made before pounding feebly on the glass. It didn't have any affect...

"Let me out! Please, let me out!" her plea was heard from the other side.

The man whose face she couldn't see planted himself in front of the tank. "You, my dear, I cannot let out, I am afraid. For you see, you have experienced something long beyond the Time of Encounter." He took a deep breath. "And in order to re-seal _IT_, we have to put _you_ to sleep for a long time. Okay?"

She looked at him and shook her head in disbelief; not wanting to understand, but yet, she understood every word that he spouted. He turned to a man at a large system, and nodded. The man at the control panel nodded, too, and pushed a flashing blue button.

Then she noticed her feet starting to feel cold - wet - and looked down to see the tank filling up with greenish-colored water.

"Sweet dreams," said the man, as he stroked the glass gently with a gloved hand. Then he and his employees had exited the room. The tank kept filling and filling, seeming to never stop.

The water had finally reached her chin..

Doki...

Doki...

Doki...

DokiDoki. DokiDoki.

Do-

Her sight faded as she saw the clean, bright room she was in go black. Her mind had given in, and she fell into a forceful slumber...


	2. Step Two

**A/N:** Hey every one. Thank you for taking the time to read my story. It means a lot. This story was one I began writing a long time ago, so the vocab is a little childish. I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to.**

Three ninja walked down a dark hallway of an old, long deserted mansion. Their mission was to retrieve anything of value from the run down ruin. The last recorded date of it actually being used was over two centuries ago, during the Elemental War. A war between the nations of Light, Dark, and Twilight.

The Twilight Kingdom had previously owned the mansion - but now, no longer.

One ninja, a girl with a giant fan on her back, looked around to the walls. How the wall paper was peeling off the very wood it once adorned in a disgusting manner made her wrinkle her nose. And the majestic, faded paintings that hung, some lop-sided or crooked, were almost to faded to see.

Another, a boy with black clothing and a package wrapped in cloth on his back, was peering through the opened doors they passed by. Most were locked, but the ones that weren't were mostly bedrooms or something of the like, doors nearly falling off their hinges.

The last ninja, a younger boy with dark, messy red hair and sea-foam eyes, stared emotionless at the space in front of him, awaiting a discovery to be laid upon him. It was a boring task, one he didn't like at all. His favorite mission type was were he could see the blood of his enemies pooling onto the ground.

But then the ninja in black froze in front of an open door, wide-eyed. "Hey, uh... guys..." he turned slightly to them, but never let his gaze drift from what was in the room.

They both stopped, and looked back at him, irritation on their faces as plain as day. "What is it?" the girl asked.

"I think found something... uhm... interesting..." he pointed in, finally tearing his gaze away.

They back-tracked to where he was, the younger one opening the door wider so he could see for himself. And in fact, there was something worth taking a look at.

A girl, about the same age as them, if not, younger, floated gracefully in a tank with a translucent green liquid. Several computers flashed on either side of the room, red, green, white, then red again. As he walked in, the red-haired boy looked to one screen , which read, "ERASURE COMPLETE", and next to it, that screen read, "CYCLE COMPLETE".

_Cycle? What's that supposed to mean?_ the boy wondered to himself, being that he rarely spoke his thoughts. He mentally shrugged, brushing off the thought. He looked to the other side of the room. The computers there served him such confusing data that he didn't bother to look at.

**BEEP!**  
**BEEP! **  
**BEEP!**

A dusty siren sounded eerily above the tank the girl was in, the water draining through vents in the floor of her tank . The red-haired boy and the girl snapped a glare at the boy in black. "Sorry! It was an accident. I swear!" He shouted hastely to clear the accusing looks off his siblings' faces, to no avail.

Soon after the water drained, the glass walls of the cylinder shaped tank opened slowly, the girl within slumped against it, still unconscious.

Her wet, silver hair stuck to half her face; her pale, naked skin dripping wet. She began to tip out of the tank when her eyes suddenly flashed open, just in time to catch herself from falling completely. Enticing, bright silver eyes, bore into the redhead's, searching, questioning, as he planted himself before her.

Eyes... that could bore right through you, making you feel as though every aspect of your life was a sin, a lie, a mistake. But, looking harder, through the lie it gave, the eyes of this girl showed suffering, pain sorrow. A need to be forgiven and loved longed in her eyes. And yet, even harder, a lost, frightened child awaiting to be comforted by her mother.

The boy in black slowly stepped toward her, but retracting as she hastily moved away. Instead, he kept his distance, and asked, "What is your name?"

The girl looked at him, in thought. The words stumbled off her tongue. "N-name..?"

She searched the ground intensely, as though the answer lay there. She shook her head softly after a long pause, placing a slender hand against her head, her mind still racing. "My name.. I.. I do not remember." The words slowly fell out of her mouth.

The computer screens still flashed with their previous information. "ERASURE COMPLETE" still flashed on one of the monitors. "Kankuro." said the red-haired boy, his voice low and deadly. The boy in blacked looked to him. "Her memory was swiped, don't expect her to answer any questions."

"Kankuro" was about to question, but averted his gaze to the screen he was directed to, and nodded in understanding.

The girl with the fan looked as well, then to the monitors on the other side of the room that had all the "useless" information. She began reading, and found it to be an incomplete profile based on a younger looking version of the girl they had in front of them. "Shikami Tsumiko..? The girl's name is Tsumiko, Gaara," she said, looking to the boy with the red hair.

He nodded, looking back to the girl that still stood on the raised platform that supported the tank she leaned on. "Temari. Is anything else over there of use?" He asked with a monotone and a blank stare. She looked back to the screen, away from his gaze, scanning it briefly before concluding that the rest was useless. "No."

The girl, Tsumiko watched as the three of them, Kankuro, Temari, and... and Gaara, began discussing what to do with her. They decided to stick with their original mission and take her back to the sand village, Sunagakure. Hesitant to move, sand wrapped around Tsumiko's legs, up to her waist, moving her towards the still open door, then sank back to the floor. Gaara just tossed a tattered tan cloak at her and passed through the door. She clung to it, confused, and leaned against the door frame in an attempt to remain standing, still wobbly from disuse.

Kankuro walked up behind her, saying, "You're lucky he didn't just kill you," then passed by her as well. Temari walked alongside Tsumiko after assisting her into the cloak which came only to her knees in the decent bits. She did two things as they walked, kept an eye on her so she wouldn't spontaneously fall, and to make her feel less alone and frightened - something Tsumiko secretly appreciated very much.

Trying her best to remember anything - anything at all - she walked silently behind the two boys. But as hard as she pushed her docile memory, nothing came. Things as simple as words seemed like a maze. Her mind was a blank void that mocked her teasingly, temping her, telling her to scream and give in. But she resisted, and tried even harder to remember.

"Hey. You try and think a little harder, your brain might explode," Kankuro said, and was promptly slugged by a furious Temari.

"He's lying, just so you're aware," she said turning to Tsumiko.

Zizuki stopped her train of thought and noticed her new surroundings as they had been walking for quite some time, a few days or so. Within a little village in the middle of a desert, they were inside a building, a man sitting behind a desk looked up from the papers that were scattered everywhere. "Ah.. You all are back early. And I see... you've brought a friend." His voice was cold and rough.

Tsumiko just listened as they (mostly Kankuro, who got corrected when he was getting to full of himself) told the man what had happened. All the while, she could feel the man's cold gaze on her, tearing through her very sole. But she just stayed silent, trying to remember some more, listening to their words to see if she could understand their meanings. Being that there wasn't much more for her to do but to search every crook 'n' nanny of her empty mind, she finally settled with herself that the only thing she remembered was the language itself, and barely that.

"...at's all she wrote," Kankuro finally concluded, satisfied.

The man, introduced as the Kazekage of Sunagakure looked to them, saying, "And since you three were so caring as to release her, I expect that you will take good care of her until a proper home can be... prepared," He shifted his gaze to Garra, more or less awaiting his answer.

After a long while, Gaara nodded, a sign that he would let her stay. Temari and Kankuro looked at him, astonished, but none the less, agreed. Tsumiko didn't know why, but was relieved that he agreed, a bit elated, even. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest as she waited for his answer.

"Then it's settled. Tsumiko, try not to make a nuisance of yourself," the Kazekage stated somewhat playfully.

She looked to him, aware of his instructions and bowed low, something she saw Temari and Kankuro do as they entered the room.

As they were about to leave, the Kazekage spoke once more. "And if you all don't mind, get the girl a new outfit. The one she is wearing seems a tad... makeshift."

Tsumiko looked down to her clothes, tugging at apart the was creeping up her leg, dissatisfied.

Temari nudged her in side. "Don't worry, I'll do that tomorrow," she said with a wink. Tsumiko looked at her and nodded a reply, walking behind the notorious "Sand Siblings".

Once they got to the house, a rather fair size compared to others, Kankuro said, "Okay... question. Where is Tsumiko gonna sleep?"

They all walked inside. Once in the living room, Gaara gave a blunt answer, "My room." He he looked to Tsumiko with a look that screamed "touch-anything-in-that-room-and-you-die". She caught his gaze and nodded in understanding, fear ebbed into increasing heart beat. His brother and sister only gawked at him, them quick to erase it before he turned and saw.

"I never use it anyways. She can use it until that bastard gets her her own place." Once more, he gave Tsumiko that look, and stalked off down the hall.

"You realize," Temari began once Gaara was out of earshot. "That he is being quite generous all of a sudden. He's usually not this nice. And it's starting to scare me a bit."

"Me too. Anyone else would be dead by now," Kankuro said, falling onto the couch.

Tsumiko froze where she was by the entrance with wide silvery eyes. Would she be killed if she stayed here? Did he plan on killing her? If so, how long before it would be her blood on the floor? Blood... That nostalgic scent began to fill the air. Why? Why did she know what it smelled like? Why did she know what it looked like? Why-

"Hey, it's getting late," Temari put a hand on Tsumiko's shoulder. "I got a pair of pj's you can use for the night."

She nodded, heart racing, and following behind Temari to her room.

Later that night, when all but one was asleep, someone slipped into a room, Gaara. He silently walked over to the being that resided in his bed, peaceful and quiet. Sea-foam eyes looked down his nose at the figure, disgusted at the feeling in the pit of his stomach, the beating him his chest. He clutched the fabric over it. _What is this feeling..?_ He thought to himself. _Kill_._ I want to kill her. Is that what this is? Of course. I must kill... _He stretched out his spare hand toward her, intending on doing harm when a nagging voice told him to wait, to "see what happens".

Gaara inwardly sighed and stood up straight, crossing his arms. He gave Tsumiko one last look of detest before walking out _his_ room. All the while, the sleeping girl in _his_ bed slept peacefully, blissfully unaware of how close to death she truly was.


	3. Step Three ( Slightly Revised Edition)

**A/N:** I'd like to explain the meaning behind Tsumiko's name. Tsumi = sin and ko = child. She is the "child of sin". As for her surname, Shikami, shi = death and kami = divine. Altogether, her name means "The divine death of the child of sin". (Or at least I hope that it translates into something relevantly close...) I hope this puts some sort of foreshadowing for you. Enjoy!

******Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to.**

The next morning, Tsumiko woke to find clothes neatly folded on the corner of the bed. She smiled as she put them on. It was simple attire, just a black, loose fitting long-sleeve shirt that came mid-thigh and a black skirt that hung about two inches below the edge of the shirt. Very loose knee-high socks and close-toe shoes adorn her feet. A prefect fit... _I wonder how th- she new..._ She wondered to herself as she left the room, heading for the stairs.

She took a closer look at the house. It was in better shape than the place she formally came from, brighter and and more alive. Tsumiko smiled when she found the three of them sitting at the table, eating breakfast and bounced over to them.

She bowed to them, thanking them for their generosity. "If there is anything, at all, that I can do to repay you for your kindness, I will gladly accept."

They just stared at her, nodding at her sudden morning outburst. "I think that's the first time I heard you talk," Temari blinked, slightly dazed. She then pointed to the food laid out on the table. "Are you hungry?"

Tsumiko accepted, and sat at the table, the scent of it all making her stomach grumble. She touched it gently, surprised by the noise. Temari laughed, "You better eat before your stomach eats you!"

After the... nice meal, Tsumiko found herself a cozy spot on the sofa, blankly staring at the ground by her feet, trying once more to remember something, but, once more, nothing came except for a headache. Temari came and sat beside her on the couch, worriedly looking at her concentration levels, which were quiet high for that one purpose.

"Tsumiko?" she asked.

"I wonder... Why are my memories gone? And for what purpose? I do not remember anything... Wh-who I was before you all found me? What kind of life did I live? Did I have a... a f-family? Did they cared for me..?"

"Tsumi..." Temari sounded sympathetic, trying to find the right words to say to her.

"Tell me, Temari, do you have any information that c-could... help me?" She looked to her with little hope.

"Well... I know that the last time that building you were in was inhabited was over two hundred years ago, during the Elemental War. May-"

"Elemental... War?" The words slowly rolled off her tongue By now, Kankuro and Gaara sat in the living room, listening to the conversation.

"Yeah," Temari nodded. "The Elemental War was a war long ago between the Kingdoms of.. oh goodness..."

"Light, Darkness, and Twilight," came Gaara's gruff voice.

The word "twilight" sparked something in Tsumiko's head, causing her to fall to the floor, holding her head in pain. Temari quickly went to her aid, asking what was wrong. She didn't answer, only passed out from all the jolting pain.

_She was walking on a path in a peaceful, quiet meadow, the wind gently caressing her face. She smiled as she walked when a sudden presence behind her made her skin prickle. She turned to see a shadowy figure standing there, cloaked in darkness.  
"Who.. are you?" she asked hesitantly. The figure remained quiet, turning around and began walking away, almost skipping.  
When it noticed that she weren't following, the figure waved her to itself with enthusiasm, motioning for her to follow.  
She obediently followed it, curious to see as to where it was going. "Where are you taking me?" she asked politely.  
The figure didn't stop, just looked over it's shoulder. She couldn't see it, but she were positive it was smirking. She remained quiet for the rest of the journey, curiosity eating at her.  
It stopped in front of a large, stone alter on top of an enormous hill covered with various flowers. The figure gestured her to the alter, bowing slightly. "What is this for?" sheasked growing more curious, but now a hint of caution as she gently stroked the stone alter. The shadow pointed to her, then softly, playfully poked its head.  
She was confused slightly, but then mumbled, "My... Is it for my memories?"  
It nodded, again with that feeling of it smirking.  
She looked at the alter, wondering how to use it. "How... H-how do I-"  
Everything glared white, and vanished.  
_  
~*~*~*~*~

Tsumiko awoke in Gaara's bed once again. This time, though, whispers were heard from the other side of the door.

"-ure that she'll be okay? I mean, she's been out all day," came Temari's worried voice.

"Yeah," Gaara said bluntly. "She just blacked out for whatever stupid reason. Now leave me be."

"Yeah, okay. Sorry." Footsteps carried themselves down the hall and out of earshot.

Tsumiko sat up, moving so that her legs hung off the bed. Looking out the window, she noticed that the sun was setting in the horizon. And for some reason, her body felt stronger, lighter, as she looked into it, dazzled by the colors that were cast in the sky.

Smiling to herself, she hopped off the bed and made her way down the stairs to reassure her hosts of her good health.

When she reached the living room, Kankuro was the first to notice her walk in. He quickly embraced her in a hug as he said, "Hey you! You gave us quite a scare!"

Temari looked over her shoulder, glaring darkly at Kankuro until she saw Tsumiko, which turned her frown into a smile.

"Finally!" she said, pushing Kankuro aside and giving her a once over to confirm there was no need for a medic. Tsumiko looked at them, confused.

"What?" Temari asked, firmly holding her shoulders at arm's length, getting the same confused look on her face.

She looked away from Temari's hard gaze, blushing slightly. "It is... It is just the fact that... you have not known me for long, yet you both seem to care for me so... Why is this?" She looked to them individually, wide silver eyes displaying her innocence with ease.

Kankuro raised an eyebrow at her question, and said, "Because you've grown on us. And we feel kinda bad for you, being that you don't really know anything. So me and Temari promised that we would try our best to help you the best we could. Until you get your memory back, that is. And then you're fair game and the repayment begi- OW!"

Temari had slugged him on the arm, then looked back to Tsumiko, smiling as best she could. "No, not really. We just want you to know you're not alone, and that you have someone relatively close to at least talk to."

Tsumiko walked up to her, gently giving her a hug. "Thank you."

"Hey! What about me?" Kankuro asked, grinning with arms wide open for a hug. Tsumiko giggled shyly, and poked him in the stomach instead. He just smiled back, rubbing his stomach lightly."I guess I deserved that..."

She diverted her gaze to a spot in the room. Gaara was standing against the far wall, watching. The emotion on his face was no longer icy, but now nothing but a thoughtful stare at the floor.

Tsumiko walked over to him slowly, shyly, as not to activate his sand wall. When she finally stood a safe distance before him, he looked up at her, now no emotion on his face.

She looked into his sea-foam eyes, easily seeing all the hurt and misery they held, the hurt he's been through in one glance. She bowed deeply, not being able to stop the quick increase in her heart beat. Fear, maybe? "Th-thank you, Gaara-san. If it were not for you and you sister and brother, I would still be in that place, suffering so. I thank you."

He looked at her in minor amusement before returning to an impassive face. "You should be thanking them, not me. It's they're stupidity that got you here."

"And I already have. I just thought that since you were the one who permitted my staying here in your home, that you deserve a 'thank-you' just as much as they do," she said this all looking into his eyes with sincerity, a gentle smile playing her lips.

"Why do you toy with me?" his quiet words were harsh and accusing. Tsumiko just looked at him, her heart skipping a beat, afraid. "Don't look at me like that! Now answer the damn question or I'll kill you."

She was to afraid to say anything, but somehow managed to look him in the eyes as sand slowly crawled up her leg and say, "I-I honestly do not know wh-what you are talking about! I-if by 'toyed' you mean 'play with', I have n-not. I swear!" Tears were forming in her silvery orbs as the beating of her heart threatened to break her rib cage.

"Gaara!" Temari cried.

The sand released Tsumiko's leg, returning to the gourd on Gaara's back as she slumped to the floor. "Whatever... Just.. Stay away from me, or I won't hesitate next time." Gaara mumbled as he passed her.

Petrified with fear, she was too afraid to move. She just stared at the wall, in a daze and utterly hurt with tears falling freely. She had done nothing wrong, or so she tried not to, and had given him polite kindness, that he took and thrown away. Giving her back hurt, ten-fold. The pain wasn't physical, true, but it felt like someone had stabbed her with a thousand kunai through and through in the same spot, the spot just below her left shoulder, her heart that was still racing so very fast.

"Uh... Tsumiko... You okay?" Kankuro came up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. It startled her, but she turned around, a small smile on her face, and nodded.

"Y-yes. Thank you, Kankuro-san."

"Alright..." he didn't sound convinced, but walked off anyways.

Tsumiko stared at the wall a little longer before standing and taking a seat next to Temari on the sofa. "Temari-chan? What else do you know?"

"About wha- oh. That. Not much else..." She said, looking to Tsumiko. "Just that on one of the screens back in that room said 'CYCLE COMPLETE'. We couldn't figure out what it meant, so we didn't bother with it."

Tsumiko nodded, deciding not to bother with it, either. Instead, her focused on the dream she had.

_I wonder what 'twilight' has to do with my dream..._ She thought to herself. _And who was that person? And what did they want, exactly? And what was that stone alter, and what is its purpose? What do I have to do with it, and how would it affect me if I activate it?_

It was needless to say, she had more questions than answers. But the one thing she did know, was that the presence of the shadowy figure was faintly familiar, somewhere from the recesses of her memory. She didn't know how, or why, or for what, when someone called to her.

"Hey Tsumi. You wanna come and train with me and Temari? We could teach you some stuff," it was Kankuro, who was standing behind the couch that she was sitting on. She looked to him, thinking. "It's better than trying to sort things out in that empty head of yours. C'mon, Temari was the one who wanted you to come in the first place." Kankuro said, taking her hand and dragging it around the couch so that she stood next to him.

She nodded, reluctantly following behind him outside. It was dark, and the cold air of the desert's night bit at her exposed legs, but she could still see the movement of everything around her. A few moments later, several torches were lit, lighting up the training area that was their "back yard".

Tsumiko approached Temari to find her fiddling with the giant fan that was strapped to her back when they first met. Then she looked to Kankuro behind her who was unwrapping the package that was on _his_ back. He said it was his puppet, Crow.

She just watched them preparing their weapons, and sat on the ground at the edge of the area. Temari looked up, finished with her fan. "Aren't you going to join us, Tsumiko?"

She shook her head. "I have no weapon to defend myself with," she stated as though it were obvious.

Her vision blurred and in its place flashed the scene of a little girl charging at two ninja, no weapon at hand, but ambition in her eyes, Tsumiko's eyes.

Holding her head, she mumbled to herself, "I do not think I even learned to wield one before my memory was lost."

"What was that?" Temari asked, helping her to stand.

She stuttered "N-Nothing! I-I just... was wondering if... Gaara-san was coming to train with us."

Temari shook her head. "He usually trains later at night, when most everyone else is asleep."

Tsumiko nodded, looking to the objects in Temari's hands. "What are those?" She asked, pointing to them.

"Oh! These are called 'kunai'. They are a common ninja weapon that you're going to use for tonight, kay?" She said, handing her two of them.

She took them, looking at the glint they made from the torches, deciding the best way to hold them. She quickly decided, one placed forward, the other backward.

They looked to her as she stood next to them, eyes still roaming in thought. "Ready! I think..." she said to them. They nodded, readying themselves.

And they were off. Tsumiko had no idea what to do with herself, so she stayed put, awaiting instinct to take over. When another vision flashed before her.

A maroon colored ball blasting from her palm.

Blazing scarlet eyes staring at her intensely from a frightening darkness. And then...

Hand sings that she had never seen before.

Tsumiko froze, hands rising slightly, her body no longer in her control as she gathered chakra and preformed the hand signs. Her voice was not her own as she bellowed, "Twilight Style: Twilight Star Jutsu."

Her eyes widened as she tried to stop herself, but couldn't, the familiar presents of the person from the dream drifted into your senses. The over-whelming feeling that it was smirking at her weakness made Tsumiko's heart race.

The entire training area was burning in a maroon flame when Tsumiko had finally gained control of her body again. She looked helplessly around in search of Temari or Kankuro to find nothing. She fell to the sand below her, tears cascading to the ground as she held hands in front of her, whispering, "What.. What have I done..?"

The presence made itself known once more, forcing her to another jutsu. Hand signs, then, "T-Twilight Style: Twilight Disguise Jutsu.."

The flames vanished, gone as quick as they had came. Tsumiko heard a noise behind her, and turned to see what it was.

"What... was that..?" Temari asked Kankuro who was beside her as she looking around, ending her gaze on Tsumiko. She was still on her knees, hands in the last sign of the jutsu she had preformed, petrified and shaking with wide, terrified eyes. "Tsumiko!"

They ran up to her, and Temari began shaking her. "Tsumi! Tsumiko, what's wrong? Tsumiko?"

Tsumiko slowly looked up at her, so very scared. With a single blink, the eyes Temari was looking into were no longer Tsumiko's gentle ones. They were an intense, burning scarlet. A smirk crossed her lips as she spoke. "This girl needs your care now more than ever... Do not fail me," it hissed.

Kankuro scowled, disliking what was happening. "What are you talking about?"

Tsumiko looked to each of them, smirking, as her eyes slowly faded back to the slight glowing, light silver color, and passed out in Temari's grasp as more visions danced their steps inside her head.

"Let's get her back to the house," Temari said, picking her up. Kankuro nodded, taking her from Temari with a reinforced strength and left for the house.

But what they didn't know, was that they were being watched, by two people. One being Gaara from the rooftop, and the other... An unknown enemy...


	4. Step Four

**A/N: **As always, constructive criticism is welcome and I hope you enjoy.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to.**

She awoke with a large pain in her head. Tsumiko sat up, taking in her surroundings with blurry eyes, and noticed that she was in Gaara's room once more with the morning sun beaming in through the bedroom window. She smelled food in the kitchen being cooked. It smelled.. a little overcooked.

Hopping out of the bed, Tsumiko grabbed her clothes and put them on after seeing that she was in the pajamas that Temari had loaned her. Looking in the mirror that was in the room, she noticed the tightly wrapped bandages on her head and arm, trying to remember why they were there. And then she remembered what had happened the night before.

Horror struck her as she bounded down the stairs to ask what had happened, not remember herself. She found Gaara and Kankuro in the living room, lounging on the sofa. Tsumiko received awkward glances as she froze in front of them. "Whathappenedlastnight?"

She spoke so fast, they couldn't understand her. Kankuro looked at her oddly. "Say that again?"

She took a deep breath to stop the rapid beating of her heart. "What.. happened last night, during training? I-I don't remember anything after... After..."

Kankuro looked to her, not knowing how to answer. "Uh... You.."

"You were possessed, and blacked out." Gaara answered bluntly without even looking at her.

Tsumiko stared at him in disbelief, shaking her head. Then her thoughts lead to Temari, which she faintly remembered picking her up, before her actually passed out for the night. "W-Where's Temari?" She was nervous to hear the answer, but listened anyways.

"In the kitchen- attempting to make breakfast.. 'attempting' being the word there.." Kankuro answered.

Tsumiko sighed in relief as she went to help Temari make breakfast. When she saw Tsumiko, she smiled, trying to hide the fresh, extra crispy pancakes she had just made. She giggled behind a hand, and asked, "If you show me what I need to do, can I help, Temari-chan?"

She sighed in defeat. "Yeah, that'd be nice.."

Tsumiko nodded, smiling still, and helped Temari cook the rest of breakfast. As she looked around, Tsumiko noticed the plate of pancakes that Temari had made had vanished. "They wouldn't have been eaten anyways." Temari said as she placed a clean plate next to Tsumiko. She gave her a slight nod, and continued to watch over the browning batter as she was shown.

Back in the living room, Kankuro said to no one in perticular, "I wonder if Tsumi-chan is better at cooking than Temari... She sucks." Gaara shrugged a reply, wondering secretly to himself as well. And suddenly from the kitchen there came a " I heard that, Kankuro!", to which he promptly flinched.

Some time later, Tsumiko and Temari walked out of the kitchen, placing various breakfast items on the table. Temari looked to the two boys on the couch. "Hey, Gaara and Mr. Ungrateful! Breakfast is ready." Gaara walked to the table, taking his spot as Kankuro mumbled, heaving himself off the couch and to the table.

"Hey! This doesn't taste half bad! Nice going Tsumiko!" Kankuro said, looking to her. Giving him a cheerful smile, she heard a knock at the door. "I got it," she said with new found confidence, walking to the door.

Opening it, she looked to see no one there, but instead, a forehead protector with the sand village's symbol on it. Under it was a note addressed to her, personally. Picking them up, she closed the door.

"Who was it?" Kankuro asked, mouth half full with pancakes.

She shook you head, and handed the note to Temari. "Can you read it for me, please? I cannot..."

_Teumiko  
We present to you the hitai-ate of the Sand Village, Sunagakure, as you are now a villager here in our fair village. We have a reliable source that says you are a promising ninja.  
Sincerely,  
the Kazekage_

Tsumiko looked to the object in her hand, gently stroking the cold metal. She began to wonder, as she put the hitai-ate around her neck, how they found out, but then figured that it wouldn't have been all that hard, since she sent an large training arena in a giant maroon flame, and blow it out just as quick.

"Looks nice!" Temari said after crumbling the note up, and tossing it over her shoulder. Tsumiko nodded, a slight smile on her face. She took a little of something to eat from the table as she sat on the couch. _I wonder... if that figure from my dream is what had possessed me... What does it want?_ She thought to herself. She was lost in thought so long that she didn't notice the two voices that had started to argue.

"-on't CARE what you think! At least I try! You won't even get off your lazy ass to do anything!" Temari shouted in Kankuro's face.

"That's because it's a woman's job!" He retorted.

"Excuse me! I hadn't noticed that you were stereotypical, you hypocrite!"

Kankuro growled a response. Tsumiko looked to from Kankuro to Temari, sensing the tension between the two. The weight on the couch shifted as Gaara sat on the other end, arms crossed, an annoyed expression on his face. He deeply sighed and his older siblings immediately stopped their arguing, turning their attention to him and Tsumiko and released each other of their hold.

She looked to them, shocked, and a bit frightened by how much control he had over them, but said nothing. Temari laughed nervously, Kankuro sitting down to finish eating his breakfast. Tsumiko looked at Gaara, his face still showed signs of annoyance, then to her new accessory around her neck and slid her finger across the cold metal, tracing the engravings on it silently.

It was about midday when everything began to start moving along. Baki, the Sand Siblings' sensei, had come to notify them that there was a new addition to their team, and that they were going to train that day.

"So.." Kankuro began, taking step beside Baki. "Who's the new person?"

Baki looked to him, gaze slightly stern. "Who do you propose we would put on this team, Kankuro?"

"Uh..m.. I dunno. If I knew, I wouldn't have asked," he said with a shrug.

Baki, sighed as he pointed thumbed Tsumiko's direction. "Tsumiko, Kankuro. Tsumiko is your new team mate, as ordered by Lord Kazekage."

"Oooh..." Kankuro eyed her with a hungry smirk, which earned him a hard smack on the back of his head by Temari. And thus, leading to more bickering. Tsumiko tilted her head to the side, wondering where this spontaneous arguing came from.

"I take it they were getting along the few days?" Baki asked, as she, him, and Gaara stood by each other at the training field, watching the other two fight.

Gaara sighed from beside you as he looked on. "Yeah. Unfortunately, it ended."

She looked at him, a little confused. "You mean... they are not always as kind as they have been?"

Baki chuckled from her other side. "These two are known for their constant fighting. In my opinion, it's a way to keep them motivated."

She nodded, looking back at Temari and Kankuro, who were now resorting to roughly beating each other.

"Come on," Baki said with a sigh. "They'll stop eventually." He turned to leave, Gaara trailing some paces behind him. With one last look over her shoulder at the two, Tsumiko ran to catch up with Gaara and her new sensei.

When Baki was satisfied with the privacy of the area around them, he turned to Tsumiko. "Well, let's see what you got."

She looked to him confused. "E-excuse me, S-senei?"

"Well, you have to have some talent, if Lord Kazekage was so persistent with putting you on this team..."

She turned her gaze the the ground, shuffling her feet in the shifting sand below. "A-about that... I uh..." You didn't know how to explain it - how you had no control over your actions, or what was slowly awakening inside you, whether it be good, or bad. Or how to explain that you didn't even know the slightest thing about being a ninja, only that they was an art of skill that she didn't posses.

Baki looked at her,awaiting the completion of her sentence when Gaara spoke up, and impassibly stated with annoyance, "She doesn't know what the hell she's doing. She hardly even understands what had happened last night."

Tsumiko stole a quick glance at Baki. Catching his gaze, she turned to the ground. "Is that so..?" The words slowly came out as he looked over her slightly embarrassed, yet very nervous, posture. "Well.. We'll just have to figure out how to activate your abilities, won't we, Tsumiko?"

She looked at him, as she heard two familiar voices approach where they were standing. "Is was good will it lasted.." She heard Gaara mumble under his breath.

She looked from him, to the two figures walking over to, they were quieter then when you had left them. "What's going on here?" Kankuro ask no one in specific.

Baki spoke, his gaze still on you. "We're going to train Miss Tsumiko here into a true shinobi. Only.. We've yet to establish a way to bring _it_ out."

"That sounds like fun. But what do you mean by _'it'_?" Kankuro said, turning to Baki.

Baki only stayed silent, in thought. "I suppose we could start out with a dual... Temari?"

She only pulled the fan from her back, a smirk plastered to her face. "It would be an honor."

Baki looked over to Gaara and Kankuro. "You two can go at it if you want." Kankuro only answered with a nervous chuckle, his fear evident in his eyes. Tsumiko and Temari positioned themselves in the center of the area. You held two kunai, as you did last time.

"Ready?" Temari asked cockily. You nodded, readying yourself and taking a deep breath.

When she started off with a half-hearted Wind Scythe Jutsu, Tsumiko lost control of your body, just like last time. She stubbornly crouched low to the ground with a twitch, the kunai pointed at the oncoming whirl-wind. And at the last moment, she jumped forcefully into it, piercing her way through it, and landed on her feet with a front flip kick to Temari's head.

Tsumiko herself, was astonished by your own actions, and looked up to see Temari's. It too held surprise.

"What the heck..." She mumbled to herself, looking at her with suspicion.

Tsumiko shook her head in dismay. "It was not me..."

Baki came up behind her, and scared her when he spoke. "You.. Didn't do that?" He asked with what seemed to be half confusion, half awe. She simply shook her head, looking down at the sand. "It is as it was last night. I had, nor have, no control over my actions. Or so it feels every time..."

Baki looked at her in thought, and jerked a kunai to her back. His arm flew back, the kunai flying with it, as a translucent maroon sphere quickly protected her from the path of the weapon. The sphere slowly disappeared in a haze.

_"B-but mama!?" a young girl cried, not wanting to leave her mother, or the mother to leave the her, nor her father to leave, as well. Tears weld up in the little girl's eyes as they left her in a dark, desolate room all alone, with some other chidren._

"-umiko! Tsumiko!" Temari was holding her by the shoulders, shaking her. Tsumiko stared wide-eyed in the direction in front of her.

"M-mo..ther..." The word seemed more of a question than a statement.

"What?" Temari looked at you with blunt confusion, then her eyes went wide as well. "Wait! Did you say 'mother'?"

She were still staring off into the distance, passed Temari. Then something fazed into view. A shadowy silhouette. The same one from the "dream". With a closer look at it from over Temari's shoulder, she followed your gaze. "What.. are you looking at..?" She looked from Tsumiko to the spot she were looking at.

Tsumiko ignored her, and kept looking. It waved to her in greeting, stopped, taking a few steps toward them. It reached out to her, and she began to feel dizzy. Next thing she knew, blurry visions and distant voices entered and exited her senses, the taste of sand in her mouth.

_She sat up_ _in a meadow, bright sunshine and beautiful smelling flowers everywhere. She looked around as she stood up, and saw it again - that shadowy figure. It again waved to her invitingly_, _egging her to follow it. _

_And she did. It lead her to the same hill as last time with the rough, stone alter as last time._

_"How do I make it work?" She turned to the shadow. It paced closer as though gliding._ _When it stood in front of her, it held it's hands out in front of her._

_Two by two, it showed different elements in little balls of energy. Fire and Ice. Water and Thunder. Earth and Air. Then it showed three at once. One was white, the other was black, and the last was a bright maroon color._

_"I-I have to..." Tsumiko was trying to make a connection between the elements and the stone alter. She could sense the frustration in the figure's swirling aura. _

_Looking to the alter, she noticed something that wasn't there before. Small etchings in the cold rock were now visible. Each etching resembled an element. And she felt like a baka for not relizing it. "I have to preform an element alined with the markings, don't I?" You turned to the figure to see it nod, clapping with no sound._

_She walk_ _the the circular alter, stroking it gently. "So I have to learn all the elements in order to regain my memories?" She seen it nodding. "But I..." she trailed off. Tsumiko didn't know any elemental justsu - let alone any jutsu at all - except for the one the possessed her had used, the one that resembled the bright maroon sphere, Twilight. Or so she thought it to be, she wasn't certain. The name had popped in her head, and that's what she began to call it._

_"I don't know any jutsu, though," Tsumiko looked at the shadow only to find it three inches from her body. It drove the bottom of its hand into the center of her chest, blowing her back. A whisper in her ear whispered with chilling words, 'And now you do. Now remember.'_

Tsumiko felt warm blankets on her body as she awoke to find she was no longer outside at the training area. "She's awake," she heard someone say.

"That wasn't nearly as long as normal, though," came Kankuro's voice.

"Well no duh, Sherlock! We can see that!"

"I wasn't asking for you to listen anyways, Temari! I was informing them!"

Tsumiko slowly opened groggy eyes to see Temari and Kankuro nose to nose, Kankuro pointing at two people wearing doctoring clothes in the far corner of the room. "Shh!" said one. "Even if she's waking, you mustn't be so loud."

Tsumiko grinned as she saw them both drop their intense glares and turn to you. Giggling softly, she sat up. Baki-sensei was lounging in a chair beside the bed she was in, and Gaara against the far wall, in thought as per usual, a small hint of anger played his face.

He looked up to her for a moment. This simple glance made her heart skip a beat, but she smiled at him, and got a nod in acknowledgement as he silently returned to his own little world.

"You feeling okay?" Kankuro had asked from beside her, examining her face almost too close for comfort.

She backed away slightly, nodding. "Why?"

"I dunno. 'Cause your face is all red." Tsumiko's eyes widened as she gently raised a hand to feel her cheek. It was indeed albeit warm.

Temari poked her head over his shoulder to get a look herself, and smirked when she saw Tsumiko's blushing face. About to say something, she was stopped.

"If it's alight with you, doctor, may we take this little one home?" His voice was soft, but Baki's posture was stern and rough.

One of the men looked to Baki. "Oh, yes, you may as well. She seems to be fine and healthy, nothing we can find that would be the cause the blackouts..." He looked over the paperwork in his hands. "But I may speak with you, Baki? In private. I think it would be in your best interest."

He nodded his head, and turned to Teamir and Kankuro who was still crowding you. "Alright you two. That's enough. Take her home." He turned to Gaara after the last sentence, to get a nod in reply.

The four of them walked out of the hospital towards home. "I wonder what they wanted to talk to Baki about.." Temari said, leaning toward Kankuro. "Me too." Kankuro agreed.

She thought about telling them, and nodded your head, stopping her feet.

Temari stopped, too, and turned to look at her. "What's up?"

"I know what's been causing my black outs." Tsumiko said in a confident voice.

They all froze in front of her suddenly and she nearly bumping into Gaara. "You what?" His voice was dark, enough to make her heart pound.


	5. Step Five

**A/N: **I feel as though I'm trying to force something that isn't ready to happen yet. If any of you thing so, too, please don't be afraid to admit so. Thank you for reading and enjoy.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to.**

They had returned home and were seated on the couch. All three of them were staring at a nervous Tsumiko, and she was feeling slightly queasy.

"Tell us, now that you have our attention," Gaara's voice was dull, and slightly sarcastic. Temari and Kankuro looked at her, one on her right and one on the sofa across from her, awaiting her answer as well.

"I-I... Both times that I.. passed out... I dream of a meadow with flowers... And it's bright and happy. B-but there is only... only one spot of shadow in that meadow.. And it is this dark, shaded figure... And both times that I had gone to the meadow.. it has lead me to a stone alter... with these grooves in it. I recently learned that I.. I-I could..." she trailed off for a moment.

"And what does all this have to do with you passing out?" Kankuro asked completely confused.

Tsumiko looked at at him with all the confidence she could muster, which wasn't much at the moment. She heard Gaara sigh deeply as Temari hit Kankuro over the head. "B-because the figure drives me into unconsciousness... Both times it has been trying to communicate with me, and it told me that... that.." _Why is this so hard..?!_ "I could get my memories back at a-"

"You can WHAT?!" Kanuro and Temari turned to eye her at the same time. Gaara looked her over with skepticism, evaluating what she said.

Tsumiko jumped when she was silenced by the sudden yells, eyes wide in horror. A voice sighed once more, and shuffling was heard beside her. Temari and Kankuros' eyes widened as Gaara grabbed Tsumiko roughly by the arm, forcing her to stand.

She clamped her eyes shut at the sudden movement. When she opened them due to the grip on her arm being gone, she were on the roof of a building that over-looked practically all of Sunagakure.

"Tell me, now that those two idiots are gone." His back was facing her, arms crossed.

But for her, this only made it harder. A light breeze made the harsh beams of the desert sun gentler, as much as a breeze could. It tussled Gaara's red hair in a way that made it seem not so scary. Breathing in deep, Tsumiko looked at the back of his head. "I can get my m-memories back.. if I.. If I learn one jutsu for every element. But I... have a feeling that it's more complex than just that..."

"Why do you think that?" he turned his head slightly to face her, gazing at her from the corner of his eye. And again his voice held no certain interest, but his bothering to ask was enough of a reason for her.

"Well... H-how many of each elemental jutsu are there, exactly?"

"Hundreds, if not thousands."

"Exactly. And what if it is a certain set of elemental jutsu that I have to learn?"

"That would make it a bit complex," his back was still to her.

Tsumiko thought for a second. He was being so much kinder to her than when they had first tried to make conversation.

"Gaara-san..." she said, almost inaudible. She walked forward, slowly and awkwardly, until she stood a few feet behind him. He turned fully to look her in the eyes. "W-will you help me.. to find these jutsu?" She bowed her head, fidgeting with her fingers, but looked through her long silvery bangs at him.

He was silent for a while, staring ahead of him. "Perhaps if I can get your words on something, I might."

She looked at him quickly, and nodded. Her heartbeat quickened suddenly.

"If you do your fair share of the hunt, I will assist you in finding your memories. That, and you train with us as a ninja with no complaint, and cook all our meals."

She smiled to herself at the last part of the deal, and nodded. She blinked and found herself in the living room with a frantic Temari and Kankuro. Kankuro happened to run into her as he was running in from the room down the hall, knocking her to the ground. Bracing for impact, he came toppling on top of Tsumiko with a loud '_THUD_'. He smirked, looking down at her as he accidentally pinned her to the floor. Temari soon entered and promptly through him off her.

"Oh, thank goodness. Tsumi, you're okay," she said with a sigh of relief. She turned to Gaara. "Gaara, what were you thinking? we didn't know what to think when you just whisked her away like that." She was about to continue when Tsumiko walked between them.

"Temari-chan, it is okay. He did not do anything bad, we were just talking," her confident beam reassured Temari. "And I have officially replaced you in the kitchen, just so you are aware."

"Thank god!" Kanuro spat as he stood up from the floor, rubbing his head.

Temari turned to him with a glare and arms crossed. "What are you 'thank god'-ing about?"

"That Tsumi-chan's going to be our new, better cook," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Temari growled in reply."Why you little-" She mumbled under her breath, clenching her fists.

Tsumiko stepped between them to save her from having to hear another argument and for Gaara, so he wouldn't become angry. "Will you two please-" she studdered of the words as her body felt miraculously hot, and her heartbeat pounded in her ears, and her fingers became tingly, and her knees weaker.

A fuzzy, distant voice asked, "-umiko. He- -iko, what's wrong?"

She didn't answer as she heard the rhythmic pulse of her heart growing louder in her ears. Someone caught her falling body. Who was it...? Everything seemed to move so slowly... The grasp on her body wasn't your average hold. It felt... grainy, like.,.. sand?

Another pulse sent a crippling shock through her mind, causing her to scream in pain. Fuzzy visions obscured her sight, detaching her from her other senses.

_Children holding each other by the collars of their shirts... fighting? It was dark, and still blurry, but it was evident that everyone was scared, whether they hid it or not. There was a door, off to the side of the awkwardly large room, yet it seemed so small with all the children pack inside. Looking harder to see that it was slightly cracked, a single wall. Outside, there was an unusual cast of light, a bright, yet dark shade of red - or was it yellow? An even closer look revealed flames licking the sky above, people were running by in either panic or determination, some even with the intent to kill written upon their faces. One such face peered into the crack in the wall, blood dripping from his face. Blood stained the hand that reached out and into the room, opening the crack wide for all to see. The children screamed in horror, the oldest trying their best to protect those who could not protect themselves. The man walked in, a wicked gleam in his eyes, and raised his weapon to the nearest child._

Tsumiko awoke to a shocking pain in her left cheek, and a sharp cry after, followed by another sharp smack, a muttered, "Uh-oh..." from a voice, and that low growl that reminded her of Gaara.

She snapped open her eyes to see the shadowed outline of Gaara hovering above her, and Temari standing over him with a horrified look. He had Tsumiko by the collar of her shirt and a fierce look on his face.

"Gaara.." she whispered, looking at him with wide eyes. He looked down on her, eyes racing over her. "What... What happened?" she attempted to mask the unbearable pain she was in.

"You fainted again," he answered bluntly. His gaze softened as he continued to survey her.

"Then Gaara decided that, since you weren't responding to anything we did, to slap you very hard across the face," Kankuro butted in.

Gaara turned to glare at him over his shoulder. Another heat wave enveloped Tsumiko's body as she noticed that Gaara was still hanging over her, his body on one side of her own, and an arm on the opposing side of her face.

Temari leaned over a bit and looked at her. "Tsumi, you okay?" Kankuro and Gaara quickly turned away from each other, to her, which only made her feel warmer yet as Gaara looked carefully over her again to see what Temari was talking about. He stopped on her cheeks, which, by now, were probably a blazing shade of scarlet, the left side even more so.

Placing a hand first on her forehead, then your cheek, the look on his face was slightly concerned and concentrated. He then removed the hair over her forehead and placed his own against hers. "You're warm, Tsumiko. Are you-"

"I'm fine!" she said hastily, most likely drawing unwanted attention upon herself. Gaara looked at her hard for a few more moments, removing his forehead from hers and stood, pulling Tsumiko up with him.

"I will be back," she said in a hurry as she rushed off to Gaara's bedroom.

As she dashed down the hall, she heard Kankuro mumbl, "What's up with her?"

Tsumiko decided to lock the door, even though she was specifically told not to. With her back to the door, she leaned her head against the solid wood, with her eyes closed, and took a deep breath, hoping to cool her hot body.

_What happened back there? _she asked yourself. _I felt as though I was on fire..._

A voice startled her out of your thoughts. "What do you think your doing, locking the door? Thought I told you not to."

She looked at Gaara, startled by his being in front of her so suddenly. "I uh- I was uhm.." She felt the fire touch her skin again. She looked away to the ground to hopefully find the missing words. As soon as she had half a sentence strung together, they escaped her as a finger slowly lifted her chin.

"What are you thinking?" he asked, staring into her with immense curiosity.

"I- I am thinking.. about... how my face feels as though.. it is on fire."

He inched closer, inspecting it closer. "Why does it feel like that?"

"Be-because I-" she looked away from his pending stare. "I d-do not know how to explain what this feeling is..."

"Try," his hold on her now extended as he turned her gaze back to him and placed a hand on either side of her head, mingling with her silver hair. Replacing his forehead on hers, he had her trapped.

Tsumiko's eyes widened at his close proximity, causing her answer to be as scrambled as her thoughts. "I uh..." she felt her cheeks get more fiery as she began to answer the question in your head. _I.. do not know what this feeling is..._

"I think... I think I love you, Gaara." she said, a term she read about in a book at the local library, after a long while, still staring into his eyes. He recoiled, and quickly removed himself from the wall, from her, his light sea-foam orbs on the ground.

Tsumiko looked at him with worry. _What did I do?_ she thought. "G-Gaara-san?" she said shyly, head bowed, but still her eyes on him.

He shook his head. "I..." he whispered something inaudible. "Never say that again," his voice dripped with something malicious as he vanished in a whisk of sand.


	6. Step Six

**A/N: **I was debating with this chapter if I wanted more "things" to happen, but I decided that that kind of stuff will be saved for a later date. Teehee... dates.. Who knows, maybe soon... I'm not sure yet. Any-who, as always, enjoy. Feedback is always appreciated.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or it's characters nor anything related to, no matter how much I wish I did...**

It's been several weeks since the incident with Gaara. Things began to simmer down and the black-outs about stopped. It began to lull everyone into a false sense of security as they worked Tsumiko into their everyday lives.

She woke up that morning to Temari shaking her by the shoulder. "Tsumi. Hey, Tsumiko! Wake up! We got stuff we need to do."

She groaned, looking at Temari with sleepy eyes. "Hm? Temari-chan? Good mor'in'."

She let go of Tsumiko, and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, first off, I'm not allowed in the kitchen anymore, so you have to get up and make breakfast. Second, we gotta go find you some new duds today."

Tsumiko was wide awake now, sitting up in bed, rubbing away the sleep from her eyes. "What are 'duds', Temari-chan?"

She sighed, letting her arms fall to her side. "Duds are just another word for clothes," she said looking to Tsumiko.

She looked down at what she was wearing, having fallen asleep in her daily clothes. "What is wrong with this?" she asked tilting her head to the side.

Temari sighed again. "I was told to make you fit in. And your clothes, despite how comfy they may be, make you stick out like a sore thumb. Not something for 'fitting in', now is it? And the boys are getting grumpy with no breakfast, so hurry it up," she said as she left the room.

Tsumiko nodded, hopping out of bed and stretching. After getting ready, she ran downstairs and into the kitchen, where Kankuro was gazing aimlessly into the fridge. Gently pushing him out, she went to look at what she had to work with. She found an under-used waffle iron in a cupboard, and made sausage and eggs to go along with it. Shortly after, she had everything on the table for everyone to eat. She noticed that, as everyone was eating, that Gaara wasn't there.

"Temari-chan, where is Gaara-san?"

She raised an eyebrow as she looked at Tsumiko, and gave off a shrug. With her mouth full of waffle, she said, "I dunno. But you should expect it to happen often. Why?"

She moved her gaze to her hand that sat in her lap, suddenly losing her immense appetite. "Just wondering..." she mumbled. But Temari didn't hear her as to the fact that she and Kankuro were, once again, arguing, both with mouths full.

She pushed away from the table and stood, walking the short distance to the couch. Pulling her knees to her chest, she sat in worry, thinking to herself. "_Is he not here because because of me? He has not been the same since that night... Is it my fault? Does he... Does he hate me...?_"

She kept asking and asking herself questions that she had no answer to. She was eventually shaken away from those questions as someone called her name.

"Tsumiko... Hello, Tsumiko!" Temari waved a hand in front of Tsumiko's now alert face with a worried expression. "You ready to leave, or are you just gonna daze around in La La Land all morning?"

Tsumiko smiled in return. "I am sorry Temari-chan. I was just thinking..."

"About?" asked Kankuro with a smirk as he plopped onto the couch beside her.

"N-Nothing! Not anything mportant anyways..." she lied horribly.

"You know..." Kankuro crossed his arms. "We may not listen all the time, but we're here if you wanna talk to us."

Temari hit him on the shoulder. "You're a reassuring friend."

"N-No! Thank-you!" she got up and bowed. "I will take up your offer some time. But at the moment-" she smiled happily "- Temari-chan and I have some things we need to do!"

She grinned. "Aw yeah! And no stupid boys allowed - which means you Kankuro..." She glared at him as she was tugged out the door with your guidence.

The two of them went through many different shops, and it was about afternoon. Tsumiko had gotten a slight pain in her head, which she figured was from the heat but didn't bother to tell Temari, not wanting to worry her. After all that time, Tsumiko finally settled on an outfit and bought it, being rushed back home to dress in it. Temari was very excited, but Tsumiko... was somewhat cautious about it.

Reaching the door, Temari bust it open, ran through the living room, which earned a sudden look from both the boys.

_He is home..._ She thought, gazing at Gaara before being dragged down the hall into his bedroom.

* * *

"She won't open the door!" Tsumiko heard Temari yell through the door to the boys in the living room.

"Why not?!" she could hear the whiny disappointment in Kankuro's voice

"I dunno!"

The pain in Tsumiko's head was more noticeable now as she looked at herself in the mirror again. She liked it, she really did! But... it didn't feel right on her body.

A dark blue wrap exposed her arms, stretching down to her waist. A white obi wrapped around her stomach and a matching skirt came to mid-thigh. Fishnets covered both her hands up to her elbows, and to her knee on her right leg. White bandages sat wrapped around her left thigh under a weapon holster. A ribbon twisted around her hair in an elegant way, allowing her bangs to still hang in her face. With a quick flit of the skirt, she took in a deep breath as the door knob was jiggled again.

"Tsumiko, open the door," came Gaara's monotonous voice. She rushed to the door quickly and unlocked it. "Why'd you lock it thi-" he stopped mid-sentence as the door opened wide enough for him to see her.

She peered at him through your bangs, waiting for him to say something.

He stared at her for a moment before walking away without another word. Tsumiko quietly followed him, still feeling out of place with her new 'duds'. Walking into the living room, all Kankuro had to do was smirk at her and she turned around for the bedroom, blushing madly.

"Tsumiko, wait! Why'd you lock the door?" Temari ask, grabbing her gently by the upper arm.

Tsumiko turned away to hide her blush. "I uh.. I do not quite feel comfortable in this..." she mumbled, fidgeting with the hem of her wrap.

Temari sighed. "I told you earlier, I was told to make you fit in, even if it is uncomfortable for you. Sorry, but you'll just have to cope."

Tsumiko tilted her head to the side. "Cope?"

"Gah! Nevermind.." She said turning around, rubbing the back of her head.

Tsumiko walked forward a few steps before falling, clutching her head. It came in waves, the pain pulsating over her body. She felt two pairs of hands holding her up. Her sight became blurry and everything seemed to move slow motion. She had a hunch she knew where this was going..

_Tsumiko were standing by the stone alter, the eight glowing elemental balls hovering in place above it, each one a different color representing a different element: White for light, blue for water, a light yellow-green for air, aqua for ice, purple for darkness, a very light shade of orange for thunder, green for earth, and red for fire; the maroon ball in the middle, she assumed, represented the mysterious twilight._

_The design on the alter itself made it so it seemed that twilight was the center of all the elements. Below each sphere was an indentation to look as though, if they weren't floating, that that's where they would lay. From the spherical recesses were bars, indented as well, that led to the center indentation of the twilight element._

_The shadowy existence that seemed to live in this dream realm appeared behind her in silence, making her jump as it gracefully slide around her._

_"What exactly am I supposed to do? I want to remember, but don't know how... Tell me.. please..." her voice was somewhat desperate, pleading._

_The figure leaned forward, looking into the floating orbs. Tsumiko stepped closer, glancing at the shadow before looking into the ice orb which had been nearest her. There was something inside it... a person? A person who was.. frozen..? You looked to the air orb, there was someone gasping for air.. And to the water orb, someone was drowning. Her eyes widened with a sudden fear._

_She turned to the figure in fright, "It is not a jutsu that will unlock my memories, is it?" her voice was soft and squeaky. "I have to suffer them, their vices?"_

_She again felt the dark smirk of the figure as it began to fade away. Adrenaline surged her body and the dream realm around her swirled and spun and turned upside down, inside out... but then..._

Tsumiko gasped for breath as her eyes opened to find the siblings pacing back and forth in Gaara's room, he himself sitting in a lonely chair against the wall. She began to whimper, then cry.

Gaara heard her whimpering, and looked up to her, drawing the attention the the two pacing bodies. Temari jumped to Tsumiko's side, looking her over to make sure she was okay. A tear slipped from Tsumiko's eye and Temari gently turned her face, making her meet her gaze, and asked, "What's wrong, Tsumi?"

She sat up from the bed and hid her face in the comforter over her legs. Kankuro's voice rang from her other side. "Tsumi, are you crying?" She buried her face even deeper into the comforter, shaking her head as she pulled her knees into her chest.

Her body was trembling and her eyes were like rivers. Tsumiko didn't want to suffer pain, didn't want to die, or fade away. She didn't even know how she was going to die that many times to satisfy the shadow. She stopped crying until the comforter dispersed into sand in her hand. She looked up to find she was on the roof tops. Gaara, this time, was sitting beside her.

"What did you see?" he said in his monotone voice.

"I.. It is not a.. I.. do not need to learn any justu," she said quickly, quietly.

"What?" he looked at her, sounding in shock.

"The figure showed my something.. disturbing and made it even more clear what it is I need to do.. And it is not to learn jutsu.."

"Then what is it?"

The tears began to reclaim themselves, and she cried as she said, "I have to... to suffer the elements, not create them. I do not want pain, Gaara-san! I do not want to be hurt! I do not want my memories anymore if I have to die first to get them!"

Sand grasped her body. His voice was low and dangerous, "I told you I'm going to help you, and that's what I intend to do. Just because you fear a little pain, doesn't mean I'll allow you to back down! You realize how much pain _I've_ suffered all my life - how bad _that_ hurt?"

She stared at him, scared and filled with disbelief. In her eyes, she seen something.

_Awhile had past. The tears in a little girl's eyes had finally fell, as she saw both her parents drop lifelessly to their knees, then face first into the ground, dead._

The sand released her body as Gaara got up and walked to the ledge of the roof. She stood. Silently, face down, she walked to him. She was inches from his body, the tears drying on her face. "I am sorry, Gaara-san," she said as she placed her forehead on the back of his shoulder, gently encircling her arms around his waist. "Please forgive me..."

His hesitation hung in the air. He didn't say anything, just stood there quietly, facing the empty blue sky of the desert before him.

"Will you still help me, Gaara-san?" she asked gently.

He removed she arms from around her, and turned to face her. "What.. can I do..?" he asked softly.

"I... I am not sure at this moment..." she replied just as soft.

"I'll do whatever I can, then," his eyes never left hers as he nodded ever so slightly.

"Let's head back, Gaara-san," she said, tilting her head back to look at him, smiling gently. He nodded in return, sand enveloping the two of them.

They reappeared in the living room inside their house. Temari and Kankuro were patiently waiting on the couch for the pair to return. Upon entering, the both of them split into different directions. Temari had let out a sigh of relief and Kankuro looked to Tsumiko.

"Tsumi..? Why's your face all red?"

She turned and looked in the direction that Gaara had walked of in, surprised when sand wrapped itself around her ankles, forcing her feet to walk in that very direction.

"Tsumi..?" Temari questioned.

"I-I will be right back," she responded quickly, trying to move her feet faster.


	7. Step Seven

**A/N:** Hey everyone! Next chapter! Woot! I hope this starts to carry the plot along a little. Thank you for your support.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor it's fantastic characters.**

Tsumiko shuffled into Gaara's room, where he sat on his bed, eyes closed, arms crossed. "Gaara-san..?" she said from the doorway.

He look up at her quickly before looking away again. "Come in, close the door."

She obeyed, closing the door behind her as she came in. "Yes?" she said as she sat on the floor in front of him, hands folded in her lap.

"Tell me more about this.. suffering."

"W-well... From what I seen-" her voice began to choke in her throat.

He sighed, slipping from the bed to sit on the floor. "I want to know what I'm up against."

She nodded, gulping for air to clear her throat. "In the spheres that represented the elements, I seen... seen people - freezing, drowning, suffocating - deaths corresponding to their respective elements. The shadow figure confirmed what I told you."

"Ice, water, air, right?"

"Un," Tsumiko nodded, looking to the floor. "Burning would be fire, I would assume... And then.."

"Electrocution."

She nodded again... "I do not know any others..."

"Being buried alive," he looked at her, his words breathy.

She jumped, she returned his gaze. "Do you think..?" her mind was racing.

"Yeah.."

"But what if-"

"It's the only lead we have for right now."

"I do not thi-"

"Do you have anything else to suggest?"

She went to speak, but stopped when she had nothing to say, and leaned back as she found herself leaning quite far forward in her protest. She inhaled, "Ok. Please... do not let it hurt too much."

"Right now?"

She shook her head violently, causing silver hair to fly in all directions. She clenched her eyes shut, fighting back tears, "If not now, then when? I might lose my courage for the thought if not now."

She heard him sigh, and the sound of shifting sand made her heart race. "We only have one shot. If you're wrong-"

"Please, Gaara-san, do not hesitate on my behalf."

Tsumiko had seen him kill countless others on the missions they were assigned. He did it mercilessly with a look of blood-lust in his eyes and without a second thought, so why did he hesitate now, of all times? Her heart was beating so loud in her chest, she was certain the boy sitting across from her could hear it clear as day.

The chilling feeling of sand crept up her back. Tsumiko looked to Gaara, who looked back to her, as it advanced. His hand was extended out in front of him, turned to the side. She knew that this was what controlled it sand that slowly consumed her body. In an attempt to quell her fears, Tsumiko bit her lip, fighting back the tears that choked her.

It reached her shoulders, the suspense of the looming danger made her body feel jittery, instinct telling her to fight back, to save herself, but she refused.

To her neck, the chill made her shiver all the horrors of death's breath touching her pale skin. "Thank-you, Gaara-san," she said quietly.

He didn't say anything in response, but kept his eyes focused on her silver ones. No... They were silver, or steely, he decided. They were the color of a full moon in a clear night sky - something he had come to be quite acquainted with, the moon. He heard her inhale deeply before the sand covered her nostrils. Her eyes, those eyes that resembled the full moon, looked at him with such fear. Usually, the look would have irritated him to no extent. He would have just killed the unfortunate soul who dared to look at him the wrong way, but why not now? What was so different about this girl?

Tsumiko took a deep breath, fighting the urge to whimper, and continued to watch Gaara as the sand continued to advance. She only closed her eyes when it finally reached them. It had encased her fully, and the air in her lungs was no longer enough to sustain her. She began to panic, her thoughts becoming blotchy and incoherent. She knew death was upon her, the oxygen now gone, when suddenly, air returned to her lungs and she couldn't fight the hard coughing it produced.

"Gaara! What the hell are you doing!?" Temari stood between he and Tsumiko. He lay on the floor in a heap, pushed to the side.

"Get out of my way," he growled, getting to his feet.

"No! I won't let you kill her!"

"Tema-" Tsumiko tried to cut in.

"Of all people, I though she would be the last you'd want to kill. But I guess I was wrong!" she pulled her fan open. "I can't leave you alone for one minute without you trying to kill someone, can I, you little monster?"

He stood, stunned, looking at her. There was a hurt in his eyes that explained all the words he wouldn't say.

Tsumiko staggered to her feet and placed herself between them as quickly as she could. "Temari-chan!" she wailed, her body still trying to intake air.

"Out of the way, Tsumiko. I'll protect you," her eyes were fiery with determination. It was only when she was facing Temari that she seen Kankuro in the room as well, Crow unbound and ready to strike.

"No, Temari-san. I will not. I do not need any protecting," Tsumiko stood up straight.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kankuro said. "He just tried to kill you with-"

"With my permission!"

"What..?" Temari searched her face, looking for the moment she cried out that it was just a joke. "What are you talking about, Tsumiko?"

"I... had asked him to do it, for reasons I do not quite feel comfortable telling you," she looked sheepishly to the side, before saying sternly, "Gaara-san is no monster! He is..." she looked behind her. He said nothing as he watched her. In a way, she could feel his hurt, his underlying suffering. She looked back to the people in front of her. "He is a very kind, understanding person, and he only did it because I asked. He is in no way afflicting me in a way that I do not approve and so you have no right to call him a monster."

"Tsumiko..." Temari's voice was lost, saddened. "Why do you want that? Why do you want to die..?"

"I..."

"Why the hell would you let this sadist bastard kill you!?" Kankuro's tone was furious.

"I do not..."

"Doesn't life mean anything to you? Don't you care how other's will feel if you died? Did you ever think of that? How me and Temari would feel?"

"Kankuro, I-"

"This life sucking bastard has no right to kill you - _none_! And I'll be _damned_ if I let him _ever_ lay another _finger_ on you again! He so much as-"

Gaara could feel the blood boil in his veins. Every word that ingrate shouted only made Gaara want to kill him even more. What did he know anyways? They've always been afraid of him - always. Everyone has been, since before he can remember. Why was now any different. The sand shifted in his gourd, churning in unison with his anger. _I'll give them a reason to call me a monster._ He thought. A few grains of sand made their way out, ready to lead the rest, when-

"Kankuro!" Tsumiko shouted. Her fists her clenched in anger, but tears still flooded her cheeks. "Please! I have my reasons for wishing this upon myself. In this instance, I do not find the need to answer to you when you dare speak of Gaara-san being such a horrible person when you, yourself have things that- that..." her voice trailed off, her eyes searching the floor frantically. Her pulse echoed in her ears, pounding in her head. She felt herself shivering, though her body wasn't cold, warm in fact.

"Tsumiko?" Temari's voice called out.

A strong pair of arms caught her as her knees gave out. _Why? What now?_ she asked herself, all other sounds distorted and hushed.

_The alter stood before her, the orbs of light still hovering above their recesses. Tsumiko's heart thundered in her chest. She searched for the green orb, dashing to it when she found it. In it, her fears were reconfirmed. They were right, to be buried alive is what it would take to satisfy that element. __A familiar presents behind her made her swivel around. The shadow figure stood with it's hands on it's hips, shaking it's head in disappointment. _

_"Please," Tsumiko took a step closer to it. "Tell me, how am I to die this many times if I only one body?"_

_It placed a hand to where it's lips would be, that nagging feeling it was smirking again prickled Tsumiko's skin, as though it was laughing at her. It pointed behind her, to the alter. She swiveled again, just in time to glimpse the sphere lower into the cold stone. The light it produced was unbearably bright, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut as hard as she could. When the light was gone, Tsumiko lowered her hand from her face to look and see what had happened._

_In the recess of the earth element sat a solid, translucent green orb. A light had filled the indent that surrounded the recess and the one that led from it to the center, glowing a soft green._

_She turned to the shadow to find it was no longer behind her, but beside her, leaning on it's elbow on the alter. From this close, Tsumiko could notice very vague features under a swirling darkness that was cast over her features, not coherent enough to define what the person in front of her truly looked like, but enough to know that there was, indeed, a person under the shadows._

_"But I thought that I..."_

_She seen it smirk under the layers of darkness._

_"Did I really die?"_

_It nodded slowly, egging her to continue._

_"Then that means..." her thoughts where racing. What did that mean...? She wasn't really dead, for she had gotten up and began speaking after being submerged in Gaara's sand. The shadow began tracing circles in front of itself, telling her to hurry._

_"I-I do not know.. what it means..." she turned to look at the sphere that sat between her hands._

_I dropped its head in dismay, patting her shoulder in a friendly manner. Tsumiko was curious as to why it never actually touched her, but hovered just slightly above her skin. _

_"What does it mean? Please. I-"_

_The shadow raised a hand to her lips, shaking a finger in secrecy. The sensation of being mocked tingled on her skin._

Tsumiko bolted up, taking in her surroundings. She was... in a hospital? The white lights above her made her feel uneasy. Why was she there? What happened after she blacked out? Where was everyone? Were they okay?

She flung the covers off her legs, getting out of the bed. A pain stung her arms, and she looked to see an I.V. in one and another wire taped to the other. Ripping of the heart monitor, she was move careful when taking out the I.V.

The floor was freezing against her bare feet, and the air on her legs drifted up the hospital gown. Even with her clothes folded in a chair beside her, she paid it no mind as she threw open the door, running down the hall as fast as her feet would carry her. It was moments like these, that she was grateful for the harsh training the Sand Siblings made her suffer through. The pain she felt every time her foot slapped the floor was terrible, sending shocks up and down her body. She paid it no mind, though. All she needed to do was find him - find Gaara - and tell him her new discovery. Perhaps he'd even know what the shadow had tried to get her to say.

Nurses and doctors called to her, telling her to stop, trying to catch her. Four floors of sprinting made her heart beat madly in her chest, her breathing was choppy and forced. The door to outside was in her sights, she was almost there. She'd go to their house and then everything would be okay. Just a little bit more. Just a little-

She jerked to a halt when a hand pulled at her arm. "Where do you think you're going in such a hurry?" Baki's stern voice make Tsumiko cringe.

"Baki-san, please! I must find Gaara. I must tell him-"

His gaze turned harder. "Tell him what?"

Her voice caught in her throat. She couldn't tell him. Should she? No - it was only Gaara who she could tell. No one else. Though her body was no longer moving, her heartbeat never faltered in pace. "Baki-san, please. I must find him."

"That won't be happening," his cold words softened when Tsumiko's desperation became evident in her features. "He and the other two left three days ago for Konohakure."

"Th-three days ago?"

"You've been asleep for over a week. They were saying you might never wake up, but here you are, awake and well."

"A.. A w-week..?"

"Nine days, to be exact," he said with a sigh, releasing her arm.

"Nine?"

"Those idiots were here night and day and refused to train until you awoke. It was only when the Kazekage told them to leave for this mission, did they finally agree to leave your side. Something about your life being in danger?"

She looked sheepishly to the ground. "I.. I see..."

Baka turned to leave. "You're free to leave. Just dress yourself properly before you do so."

She looked at the papery gown she donned, blushing suddenly as she realized there was nothing underneath it.

After dressing, and getting a meal into her stomach at the doctor's stubborn request, Tsumiko walked to the house. Her body felt heavy as she walked in. "I am back," she called into the empty rooms, half hoping to hear a response. No such response came. Fumbling feet made their way to Gaara's room, and she peered in. Within the four walls of his bedroom, she seen determination, and quickly made up her mind. Dashing about, she collected the things that she would need to venture to where they were.

"Konohakure..." the name spoke itself, as Tsumiko looked the the watchmen at the gates of the Sand Village. "I wish to go there. What direction would it be in?"

The guard blinked at her, and pointed straight, into the desert. "That way, but why would you-"

Tsumiko bowed deeply, the heavy bag on her back almost slipping off. "Thank you, sir! I wish you well," she yelled from over her shoulder, waving with glee at them as she ran into the desert.


	8. Step Eight

**A/N:** Hey everyone, how goes it? I'm actually starting to like where this is going... And hey! A chapter where she doesn't pass out! Anyways, I hope you enjoy, as always.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it's character, not its plot. But let's face it, if I did, I wouldn't be writing this awesome story, now would I?**

Four days. That's how long it took Tsumiko to finally see the end of the desert and the beginning of trees, it took her another day to actually reach them. Along the way, her mind raced with doubts. What if she turned somewhere along the way, and was going in the wrong direction? What if she ran out of water before she made it? That was almost the case two days ago, saved by a wayward traveler kind enough to spare enough to make it the rest of the way. She had truly underestimated the desert, had taken it lightly. Her skin was burnt and her throat was dry, not to mention the horrid pain in her legs with every continued step she took.

The shade of the trees from the sun on her skin was like a blessing, and she slumped against a trunk, breathing heavily. Sweat stung her eyes as she looked at the path before her. It looked far more forgiving than the one she came from, more inviting and straight forward. With a final deep breath that sounded more like a sigh, she willed herself on.

It felt like hours since that point before she came to a small hut that served tea to those who traveled on the road. A elderly fellow sat inside, and beamed at Tsumiko.

"Why hello, there, young lady," he said in a chipper voice out the window. "Might I interest you in some tea?"

She looked at him with curiosity. "Might I have some cold water instead?"

"Yeah, sure thing. And I'll even throw in a free tea bag for free, since you look like a good kid," he smiled as he retreated into the hut. Tsumiko sat on a bench outside, resting her feet. Shortly after, the man emerged and handed her the good. "Here ya are, young lady."

Tsumiko bowed her head. "Thank you, sir."

"No problem. But don't forget to tell your friends about me, okay?" he chimed, beginning to return to the hut.

Tsumiko sprang to her feet. "Oh! S-sir? Might I ask how far the village of Konohakure is from here?"

He stopped and turned to look at her. "Oh, well if you keep following this road, it's about another day's walk," he pointed down the way she had been going.

She sighed with relief and bowed. "Thank you very much!"

And that's what she did. Followed the road for one more day. She never did make it to the front gates, however. A rumbling in the ground made her falter her step. Slowly coming to a stop, Tsumiko looked above her, above the gates of Konohakure, to gaze upon not one large monster, but two. First to catch her attention was an over-sized orange toad with a navy colored vest. The other was so large, it looked at though it could simply stretch its single tail up and scrape the top of the sky. On four legs, with dark eyes, there was dark blue lines that zig-zagged all over its body. At a closer glance, its skin look at though it was shifting...

"Sand...?" her eyes widened as she make the connection. _No... It cannot be him!_ she cried to herself as her body found renewed energy and dashed off toward the tanuki. She screamed, ducking for cover when the ground shook again, the two monsters thrashing about. Parts of trees snapped and fell around her, but she didn't waver in her resolve.

She was so close when a hand shot out and grabbed her. "Tsumiko! What the hell are you doing here? We need to get away from here!" Temari began to pull her away. When Tsumiko resisted her pull, she turned around and looked at her. "What are you doing? Hurry up!"

"Temari-chan? It that... Is that thing really him? Is it truly Gaara-san?" her heart was pounding in her throat.

"Yeah, now lets go!" she tried pulling again to be met with resistance agian.

"I cannot, Temari-chan! I.. I cannot believe your lies. I have to help him! That thing is not Gaara-san."

"Tsumiko, that _thing_ is Gaara, and it always has been. He's a monster, and that is what he really looks like."

"You lie, Temari-chan. I cannot believe you..." she said with tears in her eyes. She looked Temari in the eyes and said, "I will help him, just as he has helped me!"

Temari, confused and worried of their safety, unknowingly loosened her grip. Tsumiko took this chance to slip away and continue her race toward the monster that consumed Gaara. She heard her name being repeated, pleading to come back, but she wouldn't until he was safe. _Not until Gaara-san is safe_.

She came to a large tree where a young girl with pink hair hung, pinned to the trunk by sand. An injured boy with black hair and a dog in a ninja vest looked on at the battle between the two giants.

"Gaara-san!" Tsumiko yelled as loud as her lungs would allow. The boy and the dog snapped to see who called out his name to see her standing there, hands to her mouth. "Gaara-san, please! Stop this!"

The eyes of the large sandy tanuki shot to where she stood, allowing the toad to come closer. From Tsumiko's distance, she could faintly see a blond-haired person in orange atop the toad. From his body erupted a red flame that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Tsumiko shouted Gaara's name again and the blond launched himself toward the tanuki. On it's forehead, Gaara sat consumed from the waist down.

Then it began to crumble.

The sand demon that had swallowed Gaara was shattering, returning to sand. The giant toad soon followed suit and disappeared in a luge puff of smoke, leaving behind its katana. Gaara and the other boy land, thankfully, on the tree top, on on either side of the katana. Next thing Tsumiko knew, they leaped at each other, the blond winning the final punch.

They plummeted to the ground below.

Her breath caught in her throat as she seen them fall and her feet began to move without her consent. She plopped on the ground beside Gaara, unable to stop her tears. "Gaara-san, are you okay? Please tell me you are okay. Gaara-san?"

"What... are you doing here?" his voice was raspy and tired. Too tired to turn his head, he looked at her from the corner of his eye. He was so tired...

"I-" she began, trying to speak through tears. "I came to see you, Gaara-san. To show you I am okay, and to tell you I am sorry..." she sniffled. "I am so sorry, Gaara-san, for not being aware of what torments you, for not being able to help you in your time of need. I am sorry that I woke to late and for not making it here quick enough. For all this and more, I am sorry, Gaara-san. I-"

"Shut up."

Air trapped itself in her throat again, that choking feeling. Did she anger him? Was he still in guilt for what he had done to her? "Gaara-san, I-"

"I said...to shut it..." he struggled to speak as he tried to sit up. Tsumiko hurriedly moved to help him, placing a gentle hand on his back and another on his arm, pushing him forward. He grimaced at the touch of her skin on his, but didn't refuse the help. "Why are you helping me?"

"I-" she paused for a moment, thinking of how to word it. "I have already told you how I feel. I shall continue to abide by your wish for me never repeat it, but it still reigns true in my heart, Gaara-san."

He looked at her with wide eyes, shocked, but quickly turned away. "How can anyone love a monster like me?"

"It is very easy, Gaara-san!" Tsumiko barked, furious with him. How could even he, himself, believe such rubbish? His eyes returned to her silvery ones. "Gaara-san, you have been nothing but kinda to me, and I choose to believe that that is who you truly are, or, at least, who you wish to be."

She hit the nail on the head. How could she read his secret desires so well when he didn't even know them? He searched her eyes for deceit, but seen none. He looked for the lie, but it didn't exist. Why did she care so much about someone who was to cruel, so ruthless? "And if you're wrong?"

"I'm willing to live with that."

Her words were direct and straightforward. He felt an unusual skip in heartbeat, it scared him at first, not knowing what it was.

"Besides," she continued, pulling Gaara to his feet. "You have a promise to keep. Remember?"

His heart fluttered again at the smile she gave to him, innocent and genuine. He refused to speak, words not operating on his tongue. Instead, he nodded. He looked to the ground and chuckeled.

She smiled again, and looked around. "But, uh... If you do not mind my asking, what... happened here?"


	9. Step Nine

**A/N: **Hey everyone. I this chapter kinda feels like a filler, but either way, there's some important story in it. I suppose... Anyways, thank for reading and I'll update again here soon. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto not its characters. **

When did it start to happen, her nightmares? The things that taunted her in her waking sleep seemed so unlike that of the Shadow's Meadow, or so Tsumiko had began to call it. These dreams were darker and by far more sinister. Visions that made her toss and turn in the middle of the night woke the others who slept when she screamed.

When did it start to happen, his watchfulness? In the beginning, it unsettled her to know that Gaara would watch her when she slept, but as time wore on, it comforted her. In the moments that Tsumiko did start thrashing about, screaming, Gaara would rise from his seat in his room and shake her until she woke.

It happened almost every night, it seemed, for at least two weeks, just shortly after returning from Konohakure. Why and for for what was a mystery to them, but it made Tsumiko weary of sleep and the torment she knew was coming.

She sobbed into her hands again that night, shaken awake by Gaara who sat beside her on the bed. "Why does this keep happening, Gaara-san? I do not understand..."

"I've been thinking..." he said as she stifled her sobs long enough to look at him. Dark rings around her innocent eyes had began to form. "What's happening to you... sounds almost like what happens to me when I sleep." He clutched the fabric over his chest.

"What do you mean?"

"When I sleep, Shukaku uses nightmares to eat away at my being, to make it easier to possess me. Because of this, I no longer sleep."

"And it makes you unstable, no?" Tsumiko tilted her head to the side. He grunted in response, not really use to talking about himself in such a way. It did sound almost like what was happening to her, thought. Only... "But Gaara-san. I have no beast of to which shares my body. So why does it sound so alike, yet not the same...?"

He got up and paced to the open window. "I don't know," he said, looking out.

In her tired stupor, Tsumiko looked ahead of her into the darkness of the bedroom, pondering an idea that popped into her head. Gaara's Shukaku was a takuni made of sand, and sand was aligned with earth. Earth was the element in the alter that she had succeeded in completing. Was it possible, she wondered, if her nightmares were connected to Shukaku via the alter? She slowly turned to him, her eyes burning slightly form the desire to sleep. _Is this how Gaara-san feels all the time? _She wondered to herself. He was looking out the window in a solemn manner, silent, peaceful, with him arms across his chest. A gentle breeze came in through the window, tousling his red hair almost gracefully. Tsumiko became grateful that it was night, the darkness hiding her her rosy cheeks. At the thought, her heart skipped a beat and she quickly look away to the bed sheets on her legs.

He sensed her gaze, but was content with staring at the moon. He didn't have to look at her to see her face becoming red with embarrassment of one sort or another. She was always so easy to fluster. She blushed at the most awkward things, and yet... he found himself not wanting to strangle her when he scared her, not wanting to crush her body when she refused to look at him. It was almost comforting, in a way, knowing that she - a memory-less girl that he gave solace to by only a sudden whim - accepted him, flaws and all. ...Almost...

He took a side glance at her. She was sitting up in bed, fidgeting with her fingers as she usually did when embarrassed of whatever other nonsense it was that raced through her head. Never did he meet someone so easy to read, her emotions were basically fused with her face at any given time. She peeked over at him, and for a moment, they made eye contact. Her eyes, those silvery, innocent eyes, bore into his dark, tainted soul whenever he looked into them. The moon found its way into his line of sight once again. What was she thinking, he wondered at times. At other times, he wondered what he was thinking.

"Gaara-san?" her soft voice glided into the silence. He turned to look at her, acknowledging her saying his name. "Do you... Do you think that maybe..." Fatigue hovered over her words, blurring her train of thought.

"What?"

She shook her head. "Never mind... I.. I-I do not remember what I was.. going to say."

Gaara was beginning to become concerned. Since the nightmares began, her memory was worsening more and more. But something told him that she was lying to hide her thoughts. "What is it?" his voice what rough, as usual, but softer in a way.

Tsumiko peeked at him again. "I-I was thinking... Wh-what if I, by chance, now have the same nightmares as you? Only... caused by something different..."

He pondered it. Sounded rational. "What makes you think it's anything like mine?"

"W-well... The element in the alter that you helped me solve w-was earth, nay?" He nodded in response. "Well... Shukaku is made of sand, and sand is earth orientated, so I was thinking..."

He seen the connection now. It was quite silly of him to have not seen it before. "Yeah, that makes sense, but I don't know if they're actually connected."

Nodding, she hummed in understanding. "It was just a thought..."

They stayed like that, in silence until the sun began to dawn in the horizon. It was at that point that Tsumiko got out of bed and began to ready herself for the day. Clothes, teeth, hair, one by one she completed the morning routine until she was finished. Gaara sat outside the door, leaning against the wall as he waited for her. There's been a couple times where Tsumiko had fallen asleep in the bathroom and was attacked by her nightmares. One of those times, she somehow managed to break the large vanity mirror, impaling herself with the fallen glass. It was a "pain in the ass to replace", or so said Kankuro who replaced it. She opened the door and walked out, smiling her best to Gaara who watched her do so.

Down the stairs, Kankuro sat lounged on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling. The sound of footsteps prompted his to twist to see who was coming down the stairs. Behind the kabuki paint on his face, Tsumiko could tell.

She bowed slightly, "I'm sorry for waking you again, Kankuro-san."

He sighed, turning back to the ceiling. "It's fine. It's not the first, and I doubt it'll be the last."

She felt bad, she truly did, for always waking them up at odd hours in the night. But since returning from the Chunnin Exams some few weeks ago, both he and Temari stared to act cold towards her. It confused her, and she didn't quite understand why, but she felt like it had to do with her obvious feelings for Gaara and her determination to protect him. But despite their coldness, they seemed to keep watch on Gaara, secretly vowing to never let him hurt her again.

In the kitchen, she though of how she feels like a coddled puppy, always being watched over and cared for. In her daze, her hand slipped while cutting strawberries to put on the pancakes - something she learned from a book at the library only recently. She was hoping to lift the sour spirits with a good breakfast, but... that wasn't going to happen... The knife dropped from her hand to the floor, blood pouring from the deep cut she accidentally given herself. Tsumiko stared at the red, heart beat rising. This red... Why was it so familiar? Where had she seen it before.

_Blood gushed from bodies like blooming flowers in a garden. It pooled onto the ground, splashing as the bodies dropped lifelessly into them. Three, eight, twenty? So many were falling, Tsumiko couldn't keep count, her child-like eye zipping from one side to the other as she watched to gory scene unfold in front of her. A man slaughtered another, and turned a deranged eye in her direction, malice consuming his feature. He began walking toward her, slow and predatory when-_

"Tsumiko!" Temari shouted, wrapping her bleeding hand in a nearby drying rag. "You're bleeding all over the floor, what are you doing?"

"I-I.. I do not know..." she looked at Temari with wide, scared eyes. She resisted the urge to tremble as she held the rag to her hand tightly, watching Temari mop the blood from the floor.

She picked up the knife, examining it. "Really, you gotta be more careful, Tsumi," she said, placing it in the sink and turning on the faucet.

Kankuro popped his head through the doorway. "What's going on?"

"Oh, she cut her hand on a knife..." she said with a sigh as though it didn't surprise her.

He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms. "Geeze, what'd you go and do a thing like that for?" Tsumiko went to defend herself to be stopped by him raising a him. "I know, it wasn't on purpose. Here, lemme see," he said, waving her closer. She did, tenderly removing the rag from her hand, just noticing she was bleeding through it. From the space between her thumb and her forefinger, down to her wrist, there was a gash about a centimeter deep.

"Yeesh... That's pretty big... We gonna stitch her up, or what?" he said, looking over Tsumiko's shoulder at Temari.

"You can if you want to. You know I can't do the whole steady hand thing."

"Alright. Tsumiko, if you'll follow me," he said turning out the kitchen. His appetite seemed to fade as the scent of burnt food finally hit him.

Being told to sit on the couch, Tsumiko watched as Kankuro vanished up the stairs. She then turned her attention to Gaara, who sat in the chair across the way. His arms were crossed and he propped an ankle on his knee. He eyes were locked on the blood that was beginning to seep into the top of the rag, spreading slowly. A sudden urge made him want to see more of it, watch it rain about him. Her blood - what a gorgeous sight it would be to see sprinkled around him. Wouldn't it be-

"Gaara-san?" Tsumiko's gentle voice made his heart skip a beat. Was he really thinking that? He looked up to her face, noticing she was covering the spot where the blood was showing with her uninjured hand.

Kankuro tromped down the stairs, carrying a first aid kit. He plopped on the sofa beside her, "Turn this way."

She did, holding out the wrapped up hand. He took it off, using cleaner patches to wipe off the access blood from the cut. Reaching into the kit, he pulled out a bottle and a cotton ball, saying, "This might hurt a bit, but try not to move."

"What is it?" she asked curiously as he began dabbing the liquid in the bottle onto the cotton ball.

"It'll make it so you're cut won't get infected and gross."

"Oh," she sat imagining what it would look like. An image of something bubbly and green spurting from her wound made her shiver with horror. She made sure to sit still, following all his instructions as to avoid her imaginings from becoming a reality.

She twitched when it seeped into her cut. It burned so bad! Biting her lips, she refused to move though. "There, step one is done. Now for the other not-so-pleasant part," he said, more to himself, as he pulled a needle and some sort of thread. She tilted her head to the side, looking it it inquisitively.

"It's to close the gap in your skin," Kankuro answered her unsaid question. She nodded in response. Threading the needle, he looked at her. "Hold your breath," he said, setting the needle against her skin.

She was about it ask why when her words caught in her throat as the it was pushed through her skin. Tsumiko hadn't noticed Temari leaning over the back of the couch until she barked at Kankuro, "Be careful!"

"Shut up. You said you wouldn't do it, so I'll do it whoever I want!"

"P-please be gentle, Kankuro-kun," Tsumiko pleaded.

Gaara watched with slight amusement. Every time the needle pierced her skin, her cheeks puffed out, red and frustrated, and tears welled in her eyes, only to subside as soon is it made its exit. This continued until the task was done.

"There! All done," Kankuro proclaimed with pride as he sat back, inspecting his handiwork.

Tsumiko let out a dramatic gasp, allowing her cheeks to return to it's proper color.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" Temari said with a grin.

Tsumiko looked at her with tears, nodding slowly. She chuckled, pushing off the couch and walking toward the table. "I know it's not going to be as incredible as Tsumi's, but I finished cooking breakfast."

"Awwwohhhh..." Kankuro groaned as he stood up, slapping everything back into the first aid kit.

"Don't give me that fucking sas."


	10. Step Ten

**A/N: **Hey all! Sorry it took so long. My compadre 4theloveoftoast and I have been working on a new story. So if you like Kingdom Hearts and the Naruto fandom, thumbs up and a slight nudge toward our new story, Pint Sized Trouble. If not, I'm sorry for wasting your time, and here's the update. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not run the Naruto fandom and I don't own the series. That's when I sit back and wonder what I've been doing with my life.**

"Okay... that should be about it!" Kankuro said with encouragement as he removed the last of the thread from the stitching in her hand.

It had scared her hand, marring her smooth skin. She frowned at it, displeased with the now permanent line it left.

Kankuro noticed, and said, "Well maybe you'll be more careful from now on."

She looked up at him, blushing slightly in embarrassment. Since that happened, she was no longer allowed to cook by herself, either. A coddled puppy, that's all she seen herself at.

Kankuro got up from the couch and stretched. "I don't suggest doing anything that would make it open again." She tilted her head to the side. "Like heavy lifting or extensive use."

"Oh, okay. Thank you, Kankuro-kun, "she said, bowing her head.

"No problem. Just don't make it a habit," he said, walking off up the stairs.

Gaara had been sitting in the chair across the way watching them. He was in his usual pose, with arms crossed against his chest and an ankle on one knee. He seemed to be lost in thought at the moment.

"Gaara-san, I'm going to make lunch now," she said with a gentle smile.

He turned his gaze to peer at her, huffing as he stood to follow her into the kitchen. He didn't do anything, really, just leaned against the counter and made sure she didn't cut herself again, or even worse, fall asleep. Last night was her first time making at all through the night without sleeping. She stay up and talked with him about this and that and the other. It was a nice change of pace to have someone to actually talk to, especially at night when it gets the loneliest. He watched as Tsumiko flawlessly made lunch, of course it wan't too difficult, being only mac 'n' cheese and chopped up hotdogs. She set the pot and several bowls on the table, not even having to call Temari and Kankuro down as they were already at the table waiting.

Tsumiko smiled, a giggle in her words as she said, "You guys must have been hungry, huh?"

"Well I just figured it was almost done, so I came and sat here a little while ago," Temari shrugged.

"That's a lie. You were down here long before I was," Kankuro turned to her.

"I was not! I-" she stopped when a bowl was placed in front of her, steam rising of the food held inside.

While they were eating, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Tsumiko sang as she pranced to the door, happy with her cooking. She opened it. "Oh, hello Baki-san," she said, bowing.

He looked at her with his one stern eye, "Impromptu mission. Get ready."

From inside, they heard a chorus of loud groans, followed by a, "Do we really have to?"

Baki placed a wide hand on the door, opening it wide enough for him to see them seated at the table from the door. "Get ready. Now," was all he said before turning on his heel and leaving as quickly as he came.

Tsumiko turned, closing the door behind her. "Do you think.. I should get ready, too?"

"Well, yeah. He told to to get ready, didn't he?" Kankuro was standing by the stairs.

For some reason this made Tsumiko smile, and she dashed to Gaara's room to collect her things and get ready. He appeared shortly after she did, grabbed something from his dresser and shoved it into his pocket. He them continued to walk to the closet, open the doors, walk inside, and closed the doors. Tsumiko peered curiously at the doors to the closet. She never bothered to look in there, so it made her wonder just how large the space inside actually was. As she finished putting the last of her things into her bag, Gaara walked out wearing a muddy red jumpsuit. Over his chest crossed a leather strip that wrapped around his left shoulder, and a long white piece of fabric that wrapped around the other.

Tsumiko looked at him, deciding whether or not she really wanted to question his sudden change of attire. He met her gaze and peered down at his new clothes. "Too much?"

She shook her head with a sly grin, white hair flailing. "Nope! I think it looks rather good on you!"

He couldn't help tint blush that tinted his cheeks at her words. What was wrong with him? It wasn't everyday that he found himself embarrassed by the simple words of one girl. But then again, after his encounter with the blond Naruto Uzumaki, his view on life has changed dramatically. He looked to the girl that stood beside his bed, looking around the room aimlessly for something.

"What's wrong?" he asked, stepping next to her, making her jump a bit in surprise.

"Mm..." she bit her lip and continued looking around. "I feel as though I am missing something..."

He gave a quick glance around the room, and spotted on the dresser the long strip of ribbon Tsumiko used to tie back her hair. She didn't notice as he slipped away, snatched the ribbon, and returned. He startled her as he started to wrap the silky fabric around her hair, doing so in such a fluent manner that it seemed as though he did it for her all the time - which he didn't. Every morning, Tsumiko wrapped her hair with the ribbon. And every morning, she acted as though it was a war to do so.

"Th-thank you, Gaara-san," she studdered, looking over her shoulder to meet his gaze. A heavy blush dusted her cheeks.

He looked back at her, blushing only slightly himself and nodded in response with a small, "Mm-hm." Why did he just do that? She could have put it in her own hair by herself and yet the sudden urge to have his finger intertwined in her silver locks was too great. She didn't resist, either, just stood there and looked at her from the corner of her eye. His eyes were locked on the hair that was in his fingertips, seeming mesmerized it.

They both looked to the door when a voice from the stairs called out to them. "You guys ready yet, up there?"

"Y-yeah! Be down in a second!" Tsumiko shouted out in reply, turning her head to look at the red-head beside red.

"I'm going to get the briefing from Baki," he was blushing again, only a darker shade of red. He attempted to hide it from Tsumiko's curious gaze and he took quick, wide steps for the door, marching downstairs and out the door toward toward the meeting place.

"What's wrong with him?" Kankuro asked as she tried to catch Gaara before he left.

Her cheeks were still rosy, so she stayed her distance and skirted the room. "Oh.. heheh... Gaara-san said that he, uh.. That he was going to talk to Baki-san about the mission so that we could just leave when we get there. He said he would explain on the way."

"Oh...how.. unlike him?" Temari said, lost for words as she stood from the couch, her fan strapped to her back under a bag filled with her own personal goodies. Kankuro stood and stretched his hand above his body. Together, the three of them met Gaara by the Gates to the village.

_Good. My lie was turned to truth._ Tsumiko inwardly sighed with relief. For some reason, she felt an unpleasant aura surrounding him. "Let's go," he said quietly, making headway for the desert.

What had taken Tsumiko almost a week to traverse, they had achieved passing though the desert sand in less than a day. Of course, they were running as fast as their feet would carry them after they heard Gaara's briefing. In the forests surrounding Kohonakure, there was a dilemma. Sasuke Uchiha had been kidnapped by Orochimaru - they had to explain to Tsumiko who he was - and they were tasked with proving backup for their ninja. Tsumiko asked from upon Kankuro's back, as she was still far to slow to keep pace with them, why they didn't send their own ninja, instead of calling them all the way from the next country over. He replied that it was probably a political matter, and was the Leaf's way of testing how trustworthy the Sand was after the events at the Chunnin Exams. Tsumiko nodded with a tiny grunt, fixing her grip around his shoulders. She looked at Gaara, who lead them. Then to the gourd of sand on his back. Somewhere in her mind, she wished it didn't exist. Then maybe Gaara would have let her on his back, instead. She blushed at the thought.

"Bet you're thinking about being on his back instead, huh?" Kankuro peered over his shoulder to the blushing maiden on him. His words only turned her cheeks scarlet. He face forward, and said loud enough for only her to hear, "I know this isn't exactly the time or place for this, but I feel like I should have you know that it's pretty obvious you like him."

She looked down at him, stunned. "I-Is it truly that easy to see?"

"Well, yeah. Temari and I kinda pieced it together after the Chunning Exams."

Tsumiko gazed to the blond that ran along side him. She was to focused to notice. "Her as well, huh?"

"And we also have reason to believe that he feels the same," he said as quiet as he could.

Something fluttered in her chest and she stared with wide eyes at the boy. "N-no... I do not.. believe he does..." she said, tearing her gaze away.

"Don't fool yourself. After all the years we've known him, he's never doted on someone as much as he does you. I mean, he even let you, a stranger, sleep in his bed. True, he never had a use for it, but still."

This was true. She, wondered what had caused him to do such a thing as letting a total stranger sleep in his room. She never questioned the man, himself, afraid he'd take back his generous gesture.

With a sudden gesture, the landed on the ground. Kankuro released Tsumiko and she unlatched her fingers from around him. Not having enough time to fully understand what was happening, Gaara had picked Tsumiko up bridal style and had jumped away toward his target. He was so focused on the task at hand, he didn't notice the faint tinge to her cheeks.

He landed again, behind a tree to an open clearing. In the center stood a tall pale man with white hair. From his body sprouted white structures of some sort. Facing him, a man in a skin tight jump suit and flashy orange leg warmers stood hunched over, injured. Tsumiko felt a twinge of pity for the man. He was obviously very outmatched.

Gaara took her by the shoulders and forced her to look him in the eye. "No matter what, I do _not_ want you to leave this spot. Sit here. Don't move, don't speak, just sit. I don't want to have to worry about both you and the Leaf ninja."

She nodded, just beginning to understand how serious of a matter this was in the tone of his voice. She leaned against the tree, sliding down until she was in a tight ball, arms wrapped around her legs. When he was reassured that she was in a safe position, he passed her into the clearing, into the fight. Her heart was thumping the entire time the battle enraged. But never once did Tsumiko break her instruction. Not when she heard the sickening sound of bones crunching from Gaara's Sand coffin, not when the ground rumbled in mercy at his Sand Tsunami, not even when when she heard him call out to Shukaku for protection. Her body twisted with agony the longer she sat there, silent to herself. She felt useless. And then an unnerving feeling settled over her skin as it prickled with tension. Something wasn't right. Against all will she had to stay where she was, away from harm, her body twisted around the tree. The sight before her made her gasp.

The grass from the clearing was promptly replaced with a lack of sand. From the grains sprouted trees of what looked like... ivory colored bone? Something caught her eye above the tree line. Sand was hovering in the air, supporting both Gaara and the green clad ninja. She could sense his wavering resolve and how his body threatened to give out. Then something else caught her eye, from a branch of the bone tree, a man had sprouted out, a heavy white spear replacing his arm. It was pointed at Gaara.

_No!_

With a second, albeit unnatural, instinct, Tsumiko found herself in the air above the tree line. A ball of maroon colored light shot from her touching hands, palms out toward the man. In just the nick of time, the ball hit the man square in the back and he ceased to move, the tip of his spear mere centimeters away from the center of Gaara's face.

And then she began to fall down toward the bone forest below, she screamed as she did so. With a desperate hand, Gaara reached out for her, horrified, to tired out of chakra to move anything else.

Tsumiko let out a gasp when arms suddenly impacted her, saving her from being impaled upon the trees. She looked up with wide, frightened eyes to gaze upon the serious face of a bushy browed man, the one in the green jumpsuit. He bounced off a few branches before landing on the ground and gently placed her in the grass. Tsumiko's heart was pounding a mile a minute.

"Th-thank you!" she said, bowing as deep as she could.

"It is no problem!" he said with a grin, giving her a thumbs up. "I am always happy to help!"

Then sand that levitated Gaara sunk into the ground as he landed, himself. Tsumiko quickly turned to bow deeply to him.

"I am so sorry, Gaara-san! I disobeyed a direct or-"

She stopped talking when hands firmly took her by the shoulder, forcing her to stand straight, and pressed her into a warm body. Her eyes widened for a second time when Gaara mumbled into her ear, tired and relieved, "Don't you ever worry me like that again."

His gruff voice in her ear and the touch of his warm breath on the nape of her neck made her shiver in an awkward delight. She found herself pleasantly confused as she wrapped her arms around him slowly. "I am very sorry, Gaara-san. It will never happen again."

A not so smooth cough to their side caused them to separate quickly, both blushing harshly.

"I don't know what ended up happened..." Kankuro smirked as he and Temari - who was also smirking - waltz up to them. "...but I'm glad you're all safe." He paused and looked to the boney forest. "Cuz it looked like you guys had one hell of a time."

Tsumiko smiled, closing her eyes in embarrassment. "I am just happy it is all over."

Kankuro chuckled lightly. "Yeah... For now..."


	11. Step Eleven

**A/N:** I do not mean to insult Gaara in this chapter! It was the only thing that I could think of to say, if you catch what I'm talking about. So I apologize in advance. But on a lighter note, by popular demand (kinda), I made... well you'll see soon... But as a second apology, I'm posting twice today, so rejoice and praise me! (You don't have to if you don't want to. :P) Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to.**

Tsumiko paused in thought as stared ahead for her, wrapping her arms around the blanket over her knees as she rocked about on Gaara's bed. "Hmm... What is your favorite color, Gaara-san?" she asked the red-haired man that was looking out the open window toward the moon.

"Hm?" he turned his head to look at her, then down to his feet as he pondered her question. The arms cross his chest made it seem as though he was truly debating the matter. "I've never really thought about trivial things like that..."

Tsumiko gazed at him with disapproval, stopping her rhythmic rocking as she did so. "Well there has to be one that you like at least a little more than the rest, nay?"

He looked again at her, pondering her question. His eye caught the reflection of the moonlight in Tsumiko's silvery locks and forced his eyes to the moon again. "Silver."

"Hm?" she hadn't caught his mumble.

"My... favorite color," the words sounded awkward on his lips. "I think it'd have to be silver."

She nodded, approving his answer. "Mm... I like that color too. My favorite would have to be..." she looked around. "Red," she said as she turned to him with a sly grin.

He caught this grin, "Why?"

She shrugged, looking into the darkness ahead of her once more. "It seems to go good with any other color. Every time I see it side-by-side with another, it will make me feel something different each time."

He could sense the withdrawal in her answer. "Is that all...?" he asked, cocking a would-be eye brow.

Gaara inwardly chuckled when he heard her whisper under her breath, "And because it is the color of your hair."

"Silver is my favorite because it's the color that reminds me of you," he openly admitted, giving her a taunting smirk.

Since their return to the Sand, they began a game that consisted of teasing the other, to see how red the other could get. It was awkward for Gaara, but every passing night, he found himself wanting her tease more and more. The feeling that erupted in the pit of his stomach made his heart flutter in an unfamiliar sense. And for once in his life, in the dark of the night with this girl wide awake in his bed, he didn't feel so lonely. She filled the longing in heart left by his uncle all those years ago, and he was weto repay her for this, he decided to dedicate himself to her and her cause. Whatever it took, he would protect her from anyone and anything that threatened to harm her. Though he didn't dare to tell her this, he made the vow to himself once for every she stayed awake to talk to him, her nightmares getting the best of her now on a daily basis.

She intercepted his gaze, fighting the urge to blush. Instead, she placed one hand behind her head, and one on her hip, pushing her lips into a pout and puffed out her chest.

"What are you doing?" his voice held a tinge of amusement. Where did she learn a thing like that?

She released her pose along with a burst of air as she giggled, feeling ridiculous. "It was something Temari-chan showed me in a magazine at the store the other day. It was a lady that was sitting like that and she said that that is what men refer to as 'sexy', which I suppose... is a good thing?" she looked to him for confirmation.

"Not everyone likes the same things," he said, turning out the window. He made a mental note to scold Temari later for teacher Tsumiko such attractively revolting things.

"Mm," she nodded, feeling guilty her joke did not please him. She continued her rocking. "This is true."

The urge to sleep haunted her again, but she resisted the temptation. She knew that it caused them to worry, but it allowed them to get shut-eye themselves. Tsumiko felt inclined to give Temari and Kankuro a few nights where they didn't snap awake in the middle of the night with her screaming. It's been two days since she last slept, and Gaara side glanced her, noticing her rocking. She had a tendency to this in the bed with her knees pulled against her chest when she was about to fall asleep. It pained him knowing that she was putting herself though all the torture of not sleeping, knowing full well how it feels to desire it, but not obtain it.

His expression changed to that of worry as he watched her eyes lull closed, then flutter open, repeating several times. A sigh escaped him as he watched her. He wanted to tell her to sleep, but didn't want to see her cry when she waked, too afraid to move.

"Gaara-san?" her soft, sleepy voice made his heart skip a beat. He looked at her. "Can you... come closer? It makes me feel safer when I sleep if you are close by."

He accepted her request without any complaint, pushing off the wall he had been leaning on and walked over to her. He sat on the edge of the bed, it creaking under his weight as he did. She shook her head.

"Closer," she said, reaching out meekly for him to come nearer, but never making eye contact.

He obliged silently, swinging his feet onto the bed and sliding closer to still balled-up body.

"Better," she said. Her eyes where half lidded with the deprivation evident in the bags under her eyes. She was still rocking, but it slowed as time went on until eventually, she toppled over into Gaara's lap, sound asleep.

The sudden tumble caught him off guard and he found himself gazing at the back of her head, messy silver hair strewn about his lap. He didn't dare move, now that Tsumiko had finally let sleep take her, back to the window for the off chance that she would reawaken. After some time, he began to play with the hair on his legs, careful not to pull it. It was silky to the touch, and never seemed to get knotted, no matter how much he played with it. He grasped a few strands between his thumb and his forefinger, bringing it to his lips. It smelled of wildflowers. He shifted his line of sight toward her body, her shoulders rising and falling in sync with her breathing. He eyes returned to the darkness of the empty room.

"What will you dream of this time?" he asked her, not expecting a reply.

_Tsumiko opened her eyes to find herself in the sunlit meadow. She couldn't help but sigh with relief. A familiar sight caught her eye - the alter with the now seven floating colored orbs. Behind it stood the shadow, its hands rested firmly on the surface of the cold stone as it leaned onto it. It seemed to say "long time no see" with a quick nod of it's head. All of it served as a swift reminder of her true mission._

_"Hello," Tsumiko greeted it as she approached it. It didn't move, only watched her. The green orb that sat in it's recess reminded her of something. She turned to the shadow and asked, "I have a question."_

_It slide a forearm across the cold stone, laying it flat upon it. The other pressed against its cheek. "Ask me anything", it seemed to say._

_"Why did I not die when Gaara-san..." she touched the green sphere with gentle fingers. "...assisted me?"_

_It shot up, startling Tsumiko, pointing an "ah-ha!" finger in the air, and then gave her a rather formal bow, one arm pressed against its midsection, the other stretched out to the side._

_"You saved me?" she asked with astonishment._

_It stood straight again, wagging a finger in her direction. The word "protected" ran it's way across her mind._

_"You... protected me from harm," she said slowly, furrowing her brows._

_It nodded in approval, crossing its arm against its chest with an air of success. _

_"Does that mean... you will protect me each time?" she asked another question, tracing the rim of an empty recess._

_It nodded again, bowing the same as the last time. "I am at your disposal", it seemed to say._

_She looked away, placing a thoughtful knuckle to her lips, her thumb tucked neatly under her chin. "But why does it have to be this way. A sudden darkness before her made her look up, and she jumped. "Oh! I have one more question!"_

_It tipped it's head to the side._

_"What is the cause of my sudden nightmares?" she asked eagerly._

_Its unseen smirk returned, as it faded from sight and reappeared beside the alter. It stroked the green orb, glancing at her._

_"So it was as I thought!" she slapped a closed fist into her upturned palm. A sudden realization washing over her. "But... will this happen for every one I complete?"_

_It shrugged its shoulders in a nonchalant manner._

_"So you are learning, too, huh?" she sighed. But at least she knew the cause of her nightmares. But what exactly was the connection, she wondered._

_Again, the shadow was before her, only this time, it leaned forward toward her face. Its nose almost touched hers as it sneered. "I know the answer", it taunted without words._

_"What is the connection?" she was growing impatient with the shadow's tricky disposition, something that typically didn't happen with her._

_"I can't tell you", it taunted again, placing its index finger to its lips._

_"Why must there be secrets?" she huffed, her temper rising. The temptation to stamp her foot struck her, for some odd reason._

_It leaned back. The tip of its pointer finger running down the length of the other, "Tsk, tsk". It smirked behind its shifting mask of darkness at her anger, slowly shaking its head side to side._

_In the back of her mind, a voice echoed, "A child. That is all you are. But - sweet, dear child - it is time to wake. We will lighten your nightmares, if only a little bit. You should rest easy from now on. And perhaps..." the voice sounded amused. "...your red-haired friend will be able to sleep sound as well..."_

_Tsumiko's eyes widened. "Wh-what do you mean?" she asked, spinning all around, searching for the source of the voice. The shadow had gone._

_"Until next we meet," the voice dissipated from her thoughts._

Tsumiko's eyes fluttered open, the sound of chirping birds in her ears. Morning rays shone through the open window, heating up the room from the cold night air. Her hand, which was placed delicately beside her face, twitched on top something soft. Her head lay on top the same soft surface. She pushed up, stretching, to see that she had been using Gaara's legs as a pillow. She jerked away, blushing madly. He didn't move though. She looked to his face to find that he was sound asleep, sitting up against the backboard of the bed with his head slumped on his chest. He looked peaceful, and yet...

Her heart skipped a beat. Wasn't sleep a danger to Gaara? What about-

"Gaara-san?" she quickly shook his shoulder. He didn't respond. "Gaara-san!" she shook harder. He grunted stubbornly, squeezing his eyes shut tighter. "Gaara-san! Please wake up," she begged. This time, Tsumiko glimpsed the sea-foam color that was his eyes.

"Mm?" he seemed confused. Suddenly realizing what had happened, he was wide awake. "Tsumiko? What-"

"I woke up, and you were sleeping, but..." she pondered it. "You didn't seem like you were having a bad dream at all..."

He blinked a couple times, looking away from her. _I don't feel any different... What's going on?_ he thought to himself.

There was a knock on the door, "Gaara, I'm coming in." Kankuro walked in the find two very puzzled people sitting on the bed. "Am I missing something?" he asked, popping a hip as he leaned a hand on the door knob.


	12. Step Twelve

**A/N:** Okay. So I know this is a _horrible_ place to leave off as a temporary hiatus, but it must be so. Life calls and I'm finding I don't have as much time as I used to. So I'll post again when I get the time. Hopefully this will keep you interested long enough for me to write another... Anyways, as always, enjoy... *goes and cries in a corner*

**Disclaimer: The only thing I own in this entire story is Tsumiko and her dream realm.**

Tsumiko bounced down the stairs, humming to herself. She had heard Temari singing it to herself the other day, saying it was a lullaby she learned when she was little. It was a soft, gentle song, slow and hauntingly beautiful. Or at least, she was sure it would be if Temari could hit the notes right. She danced into the kitchen and made breakfast, refreshed with another good night's sleep. She was also happy that she managed to convince Gaara to sleep again, even if not in the same way he did a few nights ago, so he was still asleep. The other two seemed to still be sleeping as well.

The meal she made was one she learned from a magazine at the supermarket. Taking sausages, you dip them in pancake batter and them cook them in a skillet. It was more difficult than she imagined. The batter kept sliding off the sausages and would cook itself before she could manage to put it back on. After a couple trial and errors, Tsumiko finally mastered the technique and quickly finishing. With a light 'clang' she placed the plate on the table set for four.

There was a knock on the door, and Tsumiko looked at it curiously. _Who could be here this early in the morning?_ she asked herself as she slowly made her way to the door. The mechanisms clicked as she unlocked the door, full of hesitation. Something set in the pit of her stomach told her not to open the door. She turned the handle after a deep breath, and moved to open the door. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand touched her shoulder.

With a small cry and a big jump, Tsumiko spun around to see Gaara standing beside her. "I'll get it," he said.

She nodded, and stepped aside to let him get to the door. He had no hesitation as he swiftly swung the door open. On the other side, a man in a white suit with slicked back chocolate brown hair. A pair of high tinted sunglasses rested across the bridge of his nose. He turned to face whoever opened the door with a smile as slick as his hair.

"Good morning, sir," his voice had a certain ring to it that pulsated in Tsumiko's memory. "Might I have a moment of your time?"

"Who are you and what do you want?" Gaara words were dry and pissy, noting how Tsumiko suddenly hid behind him, peeking over his shoulder.

"Oh, pardon me. Where are my manners? My name is Shikami Kenton. I was just wondering if I could ask the young lady there a couple questions... in private, if you will."

"Anything you have to say can be said from where you are."

He coughed into a closed fist and straightened his suit. "Well you see, Miss Tsumiko, I've come to retrieve you. I was so elated to find that you were still alive and well after the incident at the compound that I rushed right over here to get you! I can take you home, now, if you'll follow..." Kenton stopped his ramblings to see that she had completely hidden herself from his view behind Gaara, who stood between them. "Miss Tsumiko?"

Gaara grew weary of the character. His heart was beating madly for a reason he couldn't describe. "What 'incident'?"

"Oh! Well, you see, about three years back now, the compound our clan lived in was ambushed by those blood-lusting, power-hungry Mist ninja - we're from the Mist as well, I'll have you know. Many were injured and many more killed. Everyone was accounted for, dead or alive, except for Tsumiko. It was suspected that... she was kidnapped. Where to and what for, none of us knew, only the fact that she was out of our means of finding. When I heard of whispers of a young lady with white locks and stunning silver eyes to match, I knew it was she."

"Tsumiko. What do you think?" Gaara asked, looking over his shoulder at her. He was hoping she'd deny knowing him, and inwardly sighed when she did so. He turned back to the man, staring him down.

"Get lost. She doesn't know who you are, and we're not about to hand her over to a total stranger," Kankuro's cold voice chimed from the door frame, leaning his forearm on it.

Temari pulled Tsumiko into a close hug, guarding her from Kenton's sight. "Try to touch a single hair on her head and we'll slice your's off."

Gaara slammed the door in the man's face. From the other side, unbeknownst of the people inside, he quickly spun on his heel away from their door. "Try as you might, but she'll return to me one way or another," his tone had changed, and his appearance was alarmingly disheveled. He recomposing himself before he stomped off .

Inside, Temari had guided Tsumiko to the table and sat her down, sitting beside her. "Who was that?" she asked, not really expecting anyone to know the answer.

"He said he was a member of her former clan," Gaara's simple tone was a clear sign of his annoyance.

"Something about Tsumi-chan being kidnapped, I think I heard him say," Kankuro helped himself to the food on the table.

Tsumiko's mind was racing. What if that man actually was someone she knew before her memories were lost. And if so, was Kento really who he said he was? Her hand touched the skin over her stomach. She felt very unsure, and a gut feeling told her something was amiss about the man.

"What do you think, Tsumiko?" Kankuro said with a mouth full of pancake-sausage rollers.

She shook her head. "I know not who that man is, and I get an uneasy feeling at the sight of him. But... I feel as though there is some degree of truth to his words..."

"Like what?"

"The killing..." her voice was nothing more than a whisper, unfocused eyes staring at whatever happened to be in front of her.

Gaara sat with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning back in his chair adjacent to Tsumiko's. His eyes were closed in thought. After a while, he declared, "We're going to Kirigakure."

"What!? All the way to the Mist?" Kankuro said, exasperated.

Gaara looked at him from the corner of his eye. "I want to know if what that man said is really true."

Tsumiko nodded in agreement. "I, too, with to know the truth."

Much to Kankuro's dismay, Temari said, "And that makes three against one. Pack your bags, kiddos, we're going on a treasure hunt!" She slammed her fork on the table and made headway for the stairs. Tsumiko tipped her head to the side.

"She's always wanted to go to Kirigakure, but because of Gaara, we never could," Kankuro said, nodding toward him.

Tsumiko looked at Gaara, a look of puzzlement on her face. He stood, and said as he began walking away, "Sand and water don't mix."

She nodded, not that he could see, and began to wonder what the range of his control would be over a gloppy pile of mud. She chuckled to herself as she imagined Gaara and his sand shield being hit by a wave of water. A man covered head to toe in mud was all she think of as she started for the stairs.

When everyone was ready, and the supplies were gathered, they found Baki before taking off, informing him of their departure. He seemed a little surprised, but more displeased than anything. "Don't do anything rash," he warned.

It took them almost a week and a half to reach the border between Konoha and the Mist, delayed due to Tsumiko's inability to keep up. The boat ride to the island that was Kirigakure's homeland was no better. The three siblings were highly unaware of how easily they became sea-sick. But they refused to show it, some more so than others, as Tsumiko watched helplessly, unaffected by the rocking of the boat. Reaching land, Tsumiko had to support an unwell Temari.

"Urp... I'm never coming here again," she said to herself, sitting on a bench at the dock.

"I second that motion," Kankuro said, leaning his hand on a nearby pole.

Gaara stood with his eyes crossed and eyes closed, trying to calm the queasiness in his stomach. His face was slightly flushed, drained of color, as he inhaled deeply. "Let's go," he said, turning and walking inconspicuously as fast as he could from the dock. The scent of salt water will forever haunt him.

The environment around them was uninviting, being darkened in a hazy fog that blocked the midday sun. Everything was damp like a fresh fallen rain.

"How are you not affected by that, Tsumi!" Kankuro said, catching up to them, Temari close behind.

Tsumiko shrugged. "I do not know. I was not even aware that boats can make a person sick..."

"It's not the boat, itself," Temari added with a sigh. "It's the rocking and the shaking and the whole moving in general."

"Mm-hm..." Kankuro nodded.

After some time, and a few sketchy directions, the group finally found the place they hoped to get their information. The Kirigakure Archive Center. Here, information on every happening within the country was reported and stored. Or, at least, all the ones anyone ever bothered to report. It was mainly only composed of reports of those who managed to keep their alliance to the village. After some time of searching, a couple hours in fact being that Tsumiko couldn't read indepth vocabulary, they stumbled upon a report matching with Kento had told them. It read:

"**MASS MURDER: A CLAN DEVASTATED BY ROUGE NINJA ATTACK"**

It continued on to explain how many were injured or killed. It also explained how everyone was accounted for, except Shikami Tsumiko, only child of clan elder Shikami Kiraa with white hair and silver eyes, who was suspected of being kidnapped for ransom. When it was learned that the elder died, she was never heard from again.

"I guess that old man was right," Kankuro said, waving the paper in the air.

"It seems so..." Temari didn't sound enthused, tapping a finger on her cheek as she leaned her elbow on the table.

"Does any of this jog your memory, Tsumi?" Kankuro asked, leaning back into his chair with a huff, tossing the leaflet on the table.

She thought about it. The man with the crazed face who only seemed to long for death, was he a ninja of the Mist? "I remember... nothing of the clan..."

"What do you remember?" Gaara's voice grew impatient. He sat with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, leaning back in his chair.

"The killings..." her voice was no more than a whisper. A wandering hand found it's way to her stomach. Something didn't feel right, as though something was missing. What, though, she couldn't tell.

There was a long pause where no one said anything. When a voice called from around the corner, "Tsumiko!" and Kenton flung around the corner of a book shelf, pulling Tsumiko from her chair and into a tight hug. "Never did I expect to see you here! Especially after what happened in the sand."

She stood there, unmoving, in his grasp, unsure of how to respond.

"Somehow, I feel like this isn't as exciting as it should be," Kento said, holding her at arms length.

"Somehow, I feel like you're right," sarcasm dripped from Temari's voice like poison.

"Shikami," Gaara's rough voice echoed as he stood, arms still crossed, however his eyes refused to look at anyone. "We're leaving."

At the docks, Tsumiko couldn't control the tears that fell in dismal sadness as she watched the boat sail away, with them being on board. With one hand, she waved meekly, with the other, she had to continually wipe her nose. A would-be comforting hand placed itself on her shoulder, ushering her along the dock back toward the village.

He stopped suddenly, looking at a small wooden row boat tied to post on the dock. "How about we go do one of your favorite past-times?" he said, looking to her with a bright grin! "I know you'll love it! You and your father would go all the time."

"My... father?" she tipped her head to the side as he uncoiled the rope from the post.

"He would take you out onto the water whenever you were upset or down. You guys would stay out there so long, your mother would have to come out and get you."

"My mother?" her heart skipped a beat. She remembered the dream she had long ago when Ga- when _they_ had taken her in, where she watched a bloody pair of bodies slump to the ground at the hand of the crazed man. Tsumiko snapped back to reality as Kento almost effortlessly picked her up and set her in the small boat.

"Yeah. Hopefully this will cheer you up!" he said, smiling warmly as he began pushing and pulling the oars.

She sat quietly, hands folded in her lap. She didn't remember a thing this man said, nor the man himself, as he rambled on about this, that, and the other. Eventually, she just tuned out his voice, listening only to the sound of the waves crashing against the wooden panels. Before she knew it, Kento had rowed them out quite a ways from shore, the mist over the water hiding any sign of land.

"Ah, here we are. Nice and cozy, hm?" Kento turned to her. She was still in a daze.

He stood in the boat, turning to get something from the bow. As he swung back around, he accidentally bumped Tsumiko knocking her out of the tiny boat. In her surprise, she gasped for air as she hit the water, inhaling water as she did so. In her attempt to stay afloat, she kicked the siding of the boat, causing it to go out of reach. Kento was reaching over the side as far as he could, shouting her name.

Her limbs refused to cooperate with her desire to live. _Gaara-san... Help me..._ she called out to him, reaching am arm up toward the surface of the salty water as she sank. The last bubbles of air escaped he lips, to weak to hold them in and swim to the surface. When her body touched the sandy underwater ground of the ocean, she closed her eyes in defeat.


	13. Step Thirteen

**A/N: **I am _so_ sorry, guys! This took a lot longer than I thought it would... Eheheh... Anyways! I hope this chapter will make up for that. Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome, and, as always, enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Just Tsumiko the vixen. (XD)**

"We're turning back around," Gaara finally made up his mind. There was no living without the silver-eyed girl at his side. He wasn't quite sure if it was the seasickness talking, or the mysterious aching of his heart, but he would never hand Tsumiko over to the likes of another man, family or otherwise. She crept her way into his heart, and now she belonged to him - simple as that.

"What?" Temari asked, stunned.

"Turn the boat around," Gaara hissed to the captain.

With a scoff, the man turned the wheel at the helm and slowly maneuvered the boat into the direction it came, mumbling to himself.

"Gaara, you can't be serious. It's hard for us too, but to take her away from her family-" Kankuro was cut short.

"We're all the family Tsumiko will ever need," Gaara's voice was sharp and deadly, daring anyone to overrule him. His sea-foam eyes had a fire in them, one neither Kankuro or Temari had ever witnessed before. And they didn't dare try and find out what was on the business end of that stare.

Kankuro nodded, hesitantly at first, but then more reassured. "Yeah... Yeah! Screw that guy! Tsumi-chan doesn't need him, anyways!"

Temari threw a fist in the air. "And if he has anything to say about that, we'll just deal with him the Sand Sibling way!" she cheered.

"I hate to interrupt," the captain of the ship said, annoyed. "There's an obstruction ahead, so we'll have to slow down..."

Gaara pierced the man with glares like daggers, shifting his view out into the water. There was a hazy haze caused by the dense mist. The two by his side did the same. Kankuro leaned over the bow, squinting to see what in the world the captain was talking about.

"Is that...?" he started.

"Kento?" Temari finished.

What was he doing out in the water? Wasn't Tsumiko supposed to be with him? Where was she now? The closer the ship got to the little row boat that Kento was on, the clearer it was that he was leaning over the side, trying to grab hold of something, shouting something or another.

There was a splash, causing water to splash Temari and Kankuro. They looked to each other, ready for an accusation, when they noticed the tan gourd that sat between them.

"Gaara!" they shout simultaneously, slamming into the boat's railing and peering into the water that swallowed up their brother. Their ship pulled up to Kento.

"You! What happened? Where's Tsumiko!?" Temari grabbed the collar of the man's shirt with such force as he boarded the ship. In her other hand was a balled fist, a trap waiting to be sprung.

"Sh-she fell into the water! It was an accident!" Kento squeezed his eyes shut, turning his head to the side as he put up his arms defencively.

"Then why didn't you dive in and save her?" Kankuro bellowed, pushing with heavy hand against the man's chest.

"I-I can't swim! I'd only panic and then we'd both drown. I didn't-"

He was punched square in the face, shattering the sunglasses that sat on his face. He went flying into the ship's siding, blood dripping down his nose. "And that's an excuse for not even trying!? If you wouldn't be able to properly handle a situation like this, why'd you even bring her out here!?" Temari was at her wit's end. She stomped her way over to the cowering man. "Why you shameful, dirty, self-centered little bastard of a coward! I'm gonna-" she pulled back her fist to hit him again. A hand placed itself over hers.

"Temari!" Kankuro was quick stop her.

"Let go! I'm gonna make him wish he _did_ drown!"

"That's not what I meant! It's my turn to punch the guy," he said with a distorted smirk.

Under the surface of the water, Gaara's body became heavier the further he swam down into the icy water. At the rate he was going, he wouldn't have enough air in his lungs to resurface. His body became increasing weighted due to his Sand Shield more or less becoming mud on his body. It became increasingly hard to see, the water becoming like night. The salt water stung his eyes, but he resisted the instinct to shut them. Where was she? How much further did she sink? Was she still alive? Was it too late? All these questions, and Gaara still willed his body to move, to find her, to rescue her. Above, on the ship, he didn't have to worry about the man. Kankuro and Temari were most likely already taking care of him..

There it was, a glimmer of silver in the murky depths to the salty ocean - a beam of light, a ray of hope. Her white hair danced to the pushing and pulling of the tide, her arms floating gracefully in front her her, reaching skyward, seeming as those she was calling for help. Gaara's heart twisted in his chest. Was it to late? Was she...?

He grabbed hold of her hand, pulling her closer and wrapping an arm around her waist. Would he make it? His air was almost depleted by the time he reached her, secured her in grasp, but would it be enough? Was his will alone enough to win the uphill battle to save her life?

There was a ringing in his ears, and his head was pulsating with the last bits of oxygen his body could muster. Every move Gaara made only reminded him of that fact, his limbs being so numb. Damn sand - it was weighing him down! He reached a hand upward, the glimmering surface within his sights. If only he could-

The edges of his vision wavered, no oxygen left. He thought he was hallucinating when hands shot into the water and pulled both him and the limp Tsumiko up and out of the ocean. He sputtered on the ship's deck, gasping like he never had before. The sudden feeling of air in his lung caused him pain, but comforted him all the same, knowing he was alive and well. His elbows shook under the weight he put on them and he sat on his hands and knees. He paid it no heed as he looked around.

Gaara shot a worried, yet drained, gaze to Tsumiko, who still was as lifeless as when he found her on the ocean's floor. Her eyes were closed and one arm lay open cross the deck. Temari was performing CPR, pressing with gentle but forceful hands on her chest, leaning an ear to her lips to hear if she drew even the slightest of breaths.

"If she dies..." Gaara stood menacingly over an already beaten Kento, staring with malicious eyes and tired arms hanging by his side. "I'll make sure to break every bone in your body before you join her."

Sand began to slither it's way up Kento's body, Gaara's hope for Tsumiko faltering. Only when he heard her sputtering, coughing up the salty water that had almost been her grave, did he let slip the sand from the man's body. Instead, he turned to the silver-haired girl who was now on her hands and knees, still coughing harshly. He knelt beside her, taking her by the shoulders and pressing her into his chest, hugging her close. Coughing still, she buried her face in the crook of his neck, crying now between gasps as she returned the gesture and placed her arms around him tightly.

"I thought I told you to never scare me like that again," his voice twinged with something close to relief, almost broken into tears of joy.

"I was so scared, Gaara-san," her grip on his shirt got tighter.

"We're taking you home," he said to her. He nodded toward Kankuro, who promptly grabbed Kento by the shirt and threw him overboard, slapping his hands together and "dusting" them off with a satisfied look. Gaara then turned back to the captain and said, "Head toward main land."

He grumbled to himself again, muttering under his breath as he turned the wheel a second time, "Go this way. Go that way. Do a fuckin' piroette, why don' ya. Make up yer fickin' minds..."

The entire rest of the way to the other shore, Gaara sat soothing Tsumiko on the deck of the ship, neither one moving. For quite some time, she whimpered, tears dripping from Gaara's nape only to be soaked by into his shirt. He just stayed on his knees, petting her hair softly until the whimpering stopped. Closing his eyes and inhaling the scent of the salty water left in her hair, he managed to keep his seasickness at bay. As for the other two idiots, it got the better of them. They spent the ride bent over the railing, hurling every other wave.

He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard her soft voice whisper hours later, almost drowned out by the crashing waves. "Gaara-san... Another has set in the alter. And the shadow says 'you are welcome' though they refused to tell me why."

So that was why she had been so quite, sleeping away in that dream realm of hers. "Is that all?"

"Mm. They also made the notion that Kento is not to be trusted, but... he kept telling me things... that I cannot tell are lies or not? Did all these things really happen, or..." there was a pain in her temples and she lost her train of thought. "I hope he is lying..."

Gaara adjusted his position so he could look her in the eyes, those beautiful, innocent silver eyes that beamed back up at him. She looked so scared, so lost that he wanted nothing more then at holder her close again. He inwardly smiled, remembering how much he changed since they first met. The look she gave him now would have instantly awarded her a death sentence back then, only about a year ago. So what exactly was it about her that had made this change in him? What was it about her that made him feel so...?

She smiled weakly at Gaara, who just realized he was staring. Pulling her into another hug, he whispered into her ear, "You are my happiness, and no one will take you from me again."

It startled Tsumiko to hear the seriousness in his voice and the words that came with them, but it somehow comforted her all the same as she returned his embrace. "Nor will I ever leave your side, Gaara-san."

"Just Gaara will do from now on," unsure of the words that left his lips. Had he ever really told someone to him that before?

She nodded, her forehead fitting perfectly in the crook of his neck, and giggled, "Alright. Gaara."

"Land ahoy!" the captain called to his passengers. There was a echoing groan of relief from the pair, still leaning over the railing.

"Never again," Temari said as she slumped onto he butt, one arms still slung over the railing. "Never again."


	14. Step Fourteen

**A/N:** Hey guys! I Finally know what I'm going to do with this story! Isn't that great! The only down side is that a couple chapters are going to be Gaara-free towards the end-ish... *le sigh* But that is the way the cookie crumbles. Aaaaanyways... Here's the next chapter for ya'lls. Reviews are much appreciated, and enjoys~!

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto series, franchise, or... anything else related to this wonderful work of art...**

Gaara breathed in the morning air. Dawn had just graced the morning sky in Kohona where they had bunked for the night. He and Kankuro had shared a room, while Temari and Tsumiko had shared another across the hall. He couldn't help but be displeased at this arrangement, but the inn keeper had insisted upon it, the bitchy old lady she was.

He sat at a small wooden desk, staring out the window at the rising sun. The pinkish red that tainted the sky was nothing compared to the sunrise of Suna. Of course, all this was hard to appreciate on any level with Kankuro snoring like a chainsaw, one foot hanging out and off the bed. Gaara threw the sleeping man a deadly glare in annoyance, realizing it did no good if he was sleeping.

A gentle knock sounded at the door, so quiet that Gaara almost missed it. He could only guess who it was as he got up from the chair and walked over to the door, sliding it open. There on the other side, Tsumiko smiled at him gently. She didn't sleep last night, either. It was evident in the shadows forming under her eyes.

"Good morning, Gaara-sa-" she stopped herself. It was such a force of habit by then, she was catching herself at every other turn. She giggled lightly behind her hand and smiled again. "Good morning, Gaara."

He raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding her giddy mood so early in the morning, and stepped aside to allow her in the room. "Temari still asleep?" he asked as they sat across from each other on cushions at a low table.

"Mm," she nodded. Looking at Kankuro, she giggled again. "She sounds no different than Kankuro-kun, to be honest."

Gaara looked over his shoulder to see his brother roll over, pulling the covers with him. The dangling foot slid back under the covers and into the warmth.

"I wouldn't doubt it," he grumbled, thankful that Tsumiko wasn't a victim of any poor sleeping habits.

"Gaara," she said, suddenly sounding excited. "While they sleep, might we have a look around the village? Last we came here, I was not able to actually come and see it for myself..."

Gaara felt a bombardment of mixed feelings, guilt, anger, and surprisingly, embarrassment. There was a slight twinge in his cheeks as he remembered how she crossed the desert all by herself and put herself through so much danger and anguish just to see him and reassure him she was okay.

"What do you say, Gaara?" she was sitting up on her knees, placing her hands on the table in front of her and leaning toward him. She was obviously hoping he'd say yes - and to a face like that, it wasn't in him at that moment to say no.

He sighed, and stood. "Let's go," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Tsumiko jumped to her feet in excitement and nearly flew over the table as she ran to hug him. It startled him, not sure how to respond, and didn't fight when she took his hand with a cheerful smile and led him out of the room.

Outside of the inn, she turned to Gaara and gave a quick, polite bow. "Thank you!"

"Where to first?" he asked, turning his face to the side so she wouldn't see the blush in his cheeks.

"Mm..." Tsumiko rocked on her feet, placing a single finger to her lips in thought. She chuckled nervously, placing a hand behind her head. "I am not exactly sure..."

Gaara sighed, looking about. He had only been there once or twice himself, so he wasn't sure either. And as if right on cue, a loud voice sounded from behind Tsumiko, calling out to Gaara. It made her jump, and she instinctively hid behind Gaara, seeking his shelter.

"Uzumaki," Gaara said as the person approached them.

"Hey! Gaara, what are you doing here?" the blond said. His voice was louder than what was necessary, if Tsumiko had any say in it.

"We just stopped for the night on our way back to Suna," Tsumiko sensed a sort of ease with Gaara being so relaxed around him. At a closer glance, she noticed that he looked familiar.

"Who's that behind ya?" Naruto said, trying to peek at the still hiding Tsumiko.

Gaara stepped aside, exposing her to the blond. Naurto smiled like an idiot, creating a warm atmosphere around him. She smiled shyly as she stood up straight, her hands partially hiding her face. "H-hello, U-Uzumaki-san," she stuttered.

"Hm..." he studied her facefor a second. "You look kinda familiar..."

Tsumiko looked away with a blushing face. "A-As do you..."

For some reason, Tsumiko's timid personality with the blonde annoyed Gaara to no extent. He wanted nothing more to shield her from Naruto's careful gaze, hiding her away again. "She was the one who helped to stop me during our battle at the Chunnin Exams," Gaara said bluntly.

"Oh! That was you!?" he was so close to touching her shoulders. Gaara had to resist the urge to encase him in sand. What was this ugly feeling that was dominating his emotions?

Tsumiko shrunk away, not allowing Naruto the chance to touch her. "Ye-yes?"

He also shrunk back, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin as he noticed how afraid she had become. "Heheh... Sorry. I just didn't expect someone so... shy to tame the 'deadly' Gaara of the Sand."

He twitched at this name, not enough to be noticed, but enough. What did he have to do to shed that term - "deadly", "killer", "demon". What did he need to do to ensure that Tsumiko never heard it again?

She glanced at him, and smiled brightly. "Gaara is no such thing, Uzumaki-san," she turned to Naruto with that same smile. "He is kind, and protective, and has done everything in his power to ensure my safety."

Naruto blinked, dumbfounded. He turned abruptly to look at Gaara, who was looking away to hide his deep blush. He turn turned back to Tsumiko, thumbing Gaara's direction. "That guy? Are you serious?"

Tsumiko tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Well... yeah. Why would I say it if it were not true?"

He shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "I dunno... I just always thought he was a fighter, not a lover..." he muttered under his breath.

She blush at his words, ready to retaliate when a voice shouted _her_ name. She turned with a start. Rock Lee was barreling toward them, stopping just inches from Tsumiko's face. He fixed his posture so he was standing as straight as a board. "Tsumiko-chan! It is good to see you well!" he said, full of enthusiasm.

She giggled and gave him a light bow. "Like wise, Lee-san."

Lee turned to Naruto. "Sakura is looking you, Naruto. She said that Kakashi-sensei has already arrived at the training grounds and that you had best hurry before she gets really mad."

"WHAT!? Kakashi-sensei's already there?" he cried in disbelief. Naruto stamped his feet in frustration and took of running. "Gahh! No way!"

Tsumiko blinked at the outburst, and turned to Gaara for some sort of explaination. He was standing some feet away, leaning against the walls of the inn with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. Guilt made a mysterious appearance in her features. "Gaa-"

"Tsumiko-chan! What do you say to all of you coming to Ino's party later tonight?"

_Party...? What is a party...?_ Tsumiko wondered. She turned to see the redhead zoning out at that point, seemingly slightly annoyed. She turned back to Lee and gave a gentle grin. "I am sorry Lee-san, but Gaara and I already have plans for today and the four of us will be going home shortly after."

He was disappointed, pouting as he said, "But I am sure that it will be a lot of fun. And there will be many people there who I am sure would love to meet you."

"I am sorry, Lee-san. We have already been gone for far too long and I am sure that Baki-san is already mad as it is..."

He sighed, dropping his head. "Alright, if you must..." he snapped back up to face her with a determined attitude. "But next time I will not allow you to miss out!"

She giggled. "Of course, Lee-san," she bowed deeply, waving him goodbye. "Until next we meet."

Lee returned the gesture, and said, "The same to you," before leaving with an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Not knowing that Tsumiko had moved to sit in front of him, patiently waiting for him to come to as she held her knees to her chest, Gaara was startled when he saw her silvery eyes looking straight at him. When he kept staring, she smiled warmly and stood to her feet. She extended a hand out for him to take. Did she even realize how her innocence played off her every move, every feature and gesture? It almost made her too hard to resist. Almost...

Gaara pushed off the wall, and began walking down the road, not looking back to see of she was following, knowing that she would anyways. He was right. Skipping to his side, Tsumiko laced her fingers behind her back. For some reason, being in his presents always filled her with a sense of confidence she hardly ever felt. He was her savior on more than one account, and she was always ready to assist him with whatever he may need at any given moment.

"Where are we going, Gaara," she said, looking about. Konoha was much different than Suna and it excited her to know what the village had in store - what with all the colors and the greenery and the such.

"When I was here last time, I came across an orchard," he began explaining.

"An... orchard?"

He sensed her confusion at the word, "It's a field where people grow edible things like fruit."

"Oohh... What do they grow in this orchard?"

"Cherries."

"Cherries? Have I had those before..?" she wondered out loud.

"We don't get them in the Sand, so probably not."

She nodded, slightly bummed. "Okay."

As they walked, there was a gentle breeze that passed them, carrying with it a sweet scent that tickled Tsumiko's nose. They further they walked, the more intense the smell got. At the top of a dip in the land, they stopped and looked down. Tsumiko gasped at the sight. Rows and rows of trees with pink and white flowers danced in the breeze. The petals floated down, each in their own elegant waltz. She grinned from ear to ear and traversed down the hillside to get a closer view. She was going so fast, she nearly ran into a tree. Gaara chuckled at the sight, watching over her from where he was. Spinning and twirling and laughing, Gaara couldn't help but think of how the sakura blossoms complimented her features. For a moment, he dared to think they enhanced her natural beauty as she danced among the falling petals.

"She looks like she's having fun," a smug voice nearly made Gaara turn and punch him as Kankuro had caught him off guard. It took a lot of restraint on Gaara's end not to knock in him his ass with his sand.

"She looks rather pretty, I'd say," Temari said from Gaara's other side. He sighed, refusing to admit that he was thinking the same. "But the least you could have done was left us a note before you two left like that," she scolded, hardly acting stern.

"We thought that something had happened when you two weren't there when we got up," Kankuro had the same matter-of-fact tone. He lazily shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head.

"We would have been back earlier if we hadn't been stopped so many times," Gaara mumbled.

Kankuro smirked to himself, looking down to where Tsumiko was skipping around the base of one of the trees. "Hey! Tsumiko!" he waved his hands in the air as he called to her. Silver locks followed her harsh spin as she turned to see who had called her name. She smiled and came running.

"Why don't you tell her how you really feel, Gaara?" Temari teased as she left to go back to the inn and pack.

What _did_ he really feel for her? And was it really that obvious for others to see? His voice caught in his throat when he couldn't think of an explanation. He froze in thought, only to be nudged out of them by Kankuro.

"You don't have to act so bashful, ya know," he winked playfully, quickly running to catch up to Temari before Gaara decided to do something painful.

He growled, staring at the back of his older brother's hooded head. Bashful, his ass...


	15. Step Fifteen

**A/N:** Hey ya'll! I do hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It makes me all giddy inside. XP But I'd like to inform you that, excuse my french, shits about to go down in China Town. Okay, well not really there, but you catch my drift. Anywho, enjoys.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Kankuro burst through the front door. "Ah! Home sweet home!" he cried, allowing himself to fall backward over the arm of the couch and onto the cushions.

"I agree," Temari said, setting her fan on the table and sitting in one of the chairs. "We could have gotten here sooner if we weren't stopped so many freaking times..."

Tsumiko forced a smile, trying not to remember the gore she had witnessed along the way. So many unsuspecting thieves and rouge ninja had challenged them, it was almost appalling. Each and every one fell at Gaara's hand. But each and every time, he made sure that it was nowhere near Tsumiko's range of sight. He refused to scar her with sight of blood everywhere. There was something about the red liquid, he noticed, that made her freeze in fear. And on a battlefield, this could mean life or death

"Oh... What to do now," Temari wondered aloud, slouching in the chair.

"Nothing, that's what!" Kankuro said from the couch.

Tsumiko giggled, taking a seat in Gaara's favored chair across from the couch. He, himself, had wandered upstairs, requesting to be left alone for a little while. It worried her, but she didn't fight it. It was a long journey, and even he would need time to recuperate from it. At the table, Temari had successfully occupied half the table, laying on it with her arms spread out over it. There was a muffled grunt from both the table and the couch when a knock echoed from the door.

With a slight huff, Tsumiko pushed off the couch and quickly skipped over to the door. She opened it and greeted Baki, who was waiting on the other side.

"So nice of you all to come check in once you got here," he sounded anything but pleased.

"W-We only just got here, Baki-san. Not even five minutes ago..." Tsumiko stuttered at his intimidating aura.

"Yeah, Baki! We were gonna check in when we had the energy to," Kankuro threw a lazy arm in the air, signifying that, indeed, his voice was coming from the couch. "Or the determination."

Temari flopped her head to the other side so she was facing the doorway, "Yeah, so give us a break."

He sighed, irritated. "You have one day, then, to rest. I want to see you four this time tomorrow. I'll give you the briefing for your new mission," he said before turning on his heel and walking away.

From behind her, Tsumiko heard a unified groan. She giggled behind a hand and turned to hop up the stairs, bouncing distinctively on each one. She came to Gaara's room, and knocked four times, the way she had become accustomed to, listening for a response. When there was none, she opened the door carefully and peered inside. On the bed, sprawled out uncharacteristically, was Gaara, sound asleep. There was a slight fluttering in Tsumiko's chest at the sight, he hadn't even bothered to remove his gourd before passing out. Had he really been that exhausted? If so, he never showed even the slightest of signs.

She smiled to herself, coming into the room and closing the door as quietly as she could. Tip-toeing up to him, she gently took a blanket and placed it over him, then made her way for the walk-in closet on the other side of the room. It seemed like as good a time as any to bathe, so why not take up the opportunity? Grabbing what she'd need from the closet, she left the room altogether and went into the bathroom across the hall.

It wasn't anything spectacular, the bathroom. Though for some reason, Tsumiko felt as though the red walls and elegant lighting fixtures were a little much for the space. Walking in, the tub and shower combo were on the right, and the sink and toilet on the left. Beside the window, there was a metal bar. Tsumiko hung her towel on it, just as Temari had instructed her all those days ago. Setting the toiletries where they were supposed to be, she started the water, messing with the knobs until the temperature was just right. She then stood and began stripping. Looking at her reflection in the vanity mirror, she noticed how she was no longer skin and bones. Another striking feature? Her pale white skin. It displeased her greatly, but Temari said that pale skin was like a delicacy in the desert. Because it was always sunny there, hardly anyone could live there without getting some sort of tan. Tsumiko also remembered how Temari and kankuro laughed, wondering how Tsumiko hadn't already gotten a sunburn or twenty with such pale skin.

She pouted, giving her reflection one last look before stepping into the tub and closing the curtain. Fiddling with the switch on the faucet, she made the water come out from the shower head. Shivering at the cold water that came out at first, she then dipped her head into the warm water that followed. When she was done washing, she pulled the lever that blocked the water from going down the drain and tapped the switch, returning the water to the faucet. Pulling open the curtain, she sat in the tub and watched the water rise.

At first, she thought it odd that the rising water made her feel slightly uncomfortable, but then remembered what had happened in Kirigakure. Knowing this was an entirely different situation made her feel slightly more comfortable, but just enough so that she would tolerate it. When the tub was full, she turned off the water and leaned back. To just lay there was calming. Tsumiko entertained herself by wiggling her toes under the water, pretending they were tiny underwater folk and she was their benevolent caretaker. It never dawned on her why this was so entertaining. It just was.

She positioned her hand so that her fingers were up and out of the water. In a book she had read at the library, she learned of creatures named sharks, and how they were the vicious predators of the ocean. In the back of her head, she was grateful one hadn't came and snatched her up before Gaara had reached her. In the end, the shark ate one of the underwater folk, causing the society to flee in terror, never to return again. The great Protector Tsumiko had failed in her mission to protect the weak and was dismissed from her ruler-ship.

Her heart almost stopped when the door opened, and a groggy Gaara came in, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked so confused. He hadn't heard her moving in the tub, or even recognized that she was there, as she curled into a ball so that none of her "no-no square", as Temari called it, was showing. He commence to use the toilet, thankfully in no position that showed anything. Tsumiko looked straight into the water of the tub, her face a ripe shade of scarlet. The toilet was flushed and Gaara turned to come face-to-face with a wet, naked Tsumiko. His face matched her's in shade, if not darker.

Without a word, he nearly ran out the bathroom, accidentally slamming the door shut. Tsumiko quickly took this moment to flip the lever on the tub to drain the water and get out. Drying off and dressing herself in a black knee-length nightgown, she didn't quite know what to do with herself at that moment. Leave the bathroom in the off chance of another awkward confrontation with Gaara, or stay in there and hide out for the rest of the night.

It was so different this time around, different conditions, different circumstances. When Gaara had first seen her naked, she was just wakening from the tank she had been sleeping in for who knew how long. It didn't bother her then, only that she was mighty cold. Had she really been that naive? She blushed again. Temari and Kankuro had seen her naked, too...

She let her head drop into her chest, standing before the mirror, and sighed. There was no use hiding in there, she figured. Someone would have booted her out eventually... Tsumiko looked into the reflection one last time before exiting the bathroom. For a moment, she thought she saw something that she knew wasn't there and upon a double-take, found that it wasn't. She shrugged it off, thinking it only a farce the steamy bathroom had created. She turned off the light and headed down the stairs.

Shyly, she poked her head around the corner of the stairs to see who occupied the living room. Her cheeks grew rosy once again when she spotted Gaara sitting in his chair, ignoring Kankuro who was on the couch, bombarding him with questions. He seen her from the corner of his eye, and bounded toward her. In a failing attempt to hide her blush, she hide behind the corner and turned to flee up the stairs.

Without a hitch, Kankuro had successfully grabbed her by the ankle and stopped her ascension However, this caused Tsumiko's other foot to lose its grip, and she slipped. Falling ungracefully. Tsumiko hit her head on the edge of a stair. Immediately, she felt a warm rush to her head and a liquid pouring down. She spaced herself from the stairs, supporting herself with her hands.

"Oh my god. Tsumiko, I'm so sorry!" Kankuro helped her to sit up and checked over the wound.

"What did you do this time?" Temari, having heard the crash, came to see what happened. She arrived to see a terrified Tsumiko staring at the blood that dripped onto her hands. "What the hell did you do!?" she cried, shoving Kankuro out of the way to inspect Tsumiko.

"It was an accident! I swear!" he got back to his feet. The chill of a cold stare on his back made his shiver, and he turned to see a pissed-off Gaara. Kankuro shrunk away, moving so that he was no longer between his little brother and Tsumiko. Temari did the same, only she moved just to Tsumiko's side.

"Tsumiko," Gaara's voice called out to her. Her attention was still fixated on her blood. He called again, this time keeling on the stair below her. With wide eyes, she slowly looked away and to him. Her upturned palms were shaking violently and no words found their way from her parted lips.

The cut had been on her forehead, and upon closer inspection, Gaara safely concluded that it was only just that, a cut - deep, but still just a cut. To his distaste, the liquid had tainted her silver hair, dying it that unsavory shade of red. He sighed.

With a quick glance at Temari, he stood. "She'll be fine. Go help her clean up."

She nodded, not saying a word as she carefully helped Tsumiko to her feet and guided her to the bathroom. She was weak in the knees, and it slightly worried Gaara. Dismissing the thought, he turned to face Kankuro with something akin to malice in his features.

From the bathroom, Temari could make out the screams of her stupid brother being punished by her other brother. She chuckled to herself as she listened to the melodious sound, starting the bath water and undressing Tsumiko. From a moment, she couldn't help but be jealous at her porcelain skin, wanting to touch it. She resisted, however, and ushered Tsumiko into the tub. It struck her odd when Tsumiko didn't respond to anything, neither sight, touch nor sound, and just stared off into the distance. The usual glint of life in her eyes was faded, almost like what a doll would look like.

Temari recognized this lifelessness from long ago, when she started seeing things of her past. Sponging off the blood, Temari made a face of frustration. What if she was just dazed, frozen in fear at the sight of blood? She shook her head, and decided to not bother Tsumiko's trance until she was at least done scrubbing her down. It got tricky when it came to her hair. The blood seemed to stain it, and refused to come out no matter how hard Temari scrubbed.

When all was said and done, Temari took a cold bucket of water and dumped it over Tsumiko's head. This snapped her back to reality. Tsumiko gazed around, confused, and looked down onto herself to see that not a drop of blood remained on her. She reached up. There was a definite egg on her forehead, but it was cleaned up and no longer bleeding.

"Good, now that you're with me again, let me put something on that so it doesn't get infected," Temari said cheerily.

Tsumiko shivered. That horrible image of a bubbly, green infection shot through her head again. She looked to the scar on her hand to reassure herself that there was no such infection. After getting her hair towel dried, she sat rigid as Temari applied the disinfectant, which stung horribly, and then allowed her to take a clean white bandage and wrap it around her head a couple times. Standing up, Tsumiko repeated the process of drying and dressing, and then returned down the stairs. Temari, of course, helped her along the way.

Tsumiko became disappointed at the fact that Gaara was no where to be found. She tiptoed up to Kankuro, and said, "Evening, Kankuro-kun."

He looked back at her with guilt, obviously in horrible pain. "Hey. You doing okay?" he said as he cradled his arm.

She nodded and gave a warm smile when she found that he wasn't too badly beaten. "I will be just fine."

"Good. Good... Hey, I was just wanting to apologize for-"

"Kankuro-kun, it was an accident, ney? Accidents do happen, and so it is quite alright."

He blinked, and returned the smile. "Thanks, Tsumi-chan."

She bowed lightly, and scanned the room one more time before asking, "Where did Gaara go?"

"Oh," Kankuro had a slight fearful stutter in his voice. "I think he went to his room."

Tsumiko bowed again. "Thank you," she said, before toddling up the stairs once more.

She knocked the four times, and heard a quiet grunt from the other side. Opening the door, she found Gaara looking out his window at the crescent moon that hung in the sky. He glanced at her quickly before returning his gaze to it. With careful steps, Tsumiko made her way to stand beside him and looked out the window at the moon.

"It is very pretty," she said in a hushed tone.

"Mm," was his response.

She looked at him. He didn't seem the least bit interested in anything she had to say. For a moment, she pouted, then said, "I like to think sometimes that the moon is a big, regenerative cookie, and a giant eats it. But then it grows back, and everything is okay."

"Mm."

"Gaara, are you okay?" Tsumiko was growing worried.

"Mm."

She huffed, twisting her balled fists around her waist in silent anger. Her hands dashed to his face, one hand on either cheek, as she turned his head so he would meet her gaze. He blinked in shock, staring Tsumiko straight in the eye.

"Gaara, if something is bothering you, then say so. I would be more than happy to listen to your concerns. It is not good for you to keep them all bottled up anyways. So please, do not think you have to do everything on your own."

His stare softened, and Tsumiko thought she saw what seemed like a smile grace his lips. He looked away as one of his hands reached up and placed itself over hers, pressing it further into his cheek as he tilted his head that way. Even in the dark, Tsumiko could tell he was definitely blushing. This one, simple motion made her heart flutter with all kinds of feelings.

"Gaara?"

"You always seem to know..."

She was confused by his words. And even more so when he pushed off the wall and wrapped his arms around her waist. Not exactly sure what to do, she wrapped her arms gently around his neck as he nuzzled into the crook of her neck. Her heart was pounding in her chest and Tsumiko was certain she could feel his pounding, too.

"Gaara," she whispered his name softly into his ear.

"Mm?" he didn't move, but her words had made him shiver.

"I love you, Gaara," she whispered again. This time, she could hear his heart beat over her own.

His grip on her tightened and trails of liquid started to dip down her collarbone. Without hesitation, she placed her hands on his shoulders and held his out at arms length. He was, indeed, crying.

"Wh-what is wrong?" she scanned his features, trying to find the answer for herself.

He chuckled, grinning. "You always seem to know..." he repeated.

"Know what, Gaara?" she looked at him through the darkness, confused and concerned.

"Everything," he whispered, taking her hands off his shoulders and placing them back onto his cheeks. The tears chilled her skin where they touched.

Tsumiko was filled was a sudden empathy as she started to tear up. "Please, do not cry Gaara," she whimpered, letting her own tears fall.

Gaara gave her a forced chuckle, looking away, "I can't."

"Why is that?" she turned his head so he would look at her again.

"I don't really know."

There was a moment of silence as they continued to look at each other, and by then, they were both sitting on the floor. Tsumiko still had her hands gently placed upon his tear-stained cheeks. Neither said a word, yet every word they wanted to speak was noted.

Without even realizing what she was doing, Tsumiko leaned forward and firmly planted her lips onto his. In the shock of her own actions, she instantly pulled away.

"I am so sorry, Gaara," she said quickly.

Getting over his own shock, he said, "What for?" and leaned forward toward her.

Tsumiko didn't resist him, and let him press his warm lips to hers. The impact was one of such longing, such hunger, that she was knocked onto her back. Silver locks flooded the floor as she returned the gesture, wrapping her arms around his neck and influencing him to deepen the kiss. His arms rested on either side of her head, supporting his body.

When their lungs where screaming in protest, did they finally part, breathing heavily. In her chest, Tsumiko felt like her heart was going to break through her rib cage. She smiled warmly to the boy hovering above her. Never did she remember having ever been so happy, and it was reflected in that smile. A giddy shiver crept down his spine as he returned the smile.

"I love you Gaara," she said again.

"I... love you too," the sudden realization seemed to smack him across the face. Is this what that feeling had been all along?

She hugged him again, and said, "I hope so," before pulling him into another kiss.


	16. Step Sixteen

**A/N:** Hi everyone! You have permission to scorn and beat me for my failure to update in a timely manner. That and cuz... cuz reasons, that's why! *goes and cries in corner* Go. Go read my stupid update and enjoy... *cries more*

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my dear, darling Tsumiko.**

A whole year had passed since their confessions to each other on the night and everything seemed to be going on without a hitch. Tsumiko's nightmares had calmed, leaving her peaceful nights. The shadow from her dream realm had seemed to vanish after a while and Tsumiko was okay with not remembering her mysterious past. She spent her days doting on Gaara while he worked in his new trade. He had been promoted to Kazekage of Sunagakure, like his father before him. Everyone had settled into this new life, and eventually, even the villagers accepted him as their leader though some still had their doubts. Temari, on Gaara's request, became the liaison between Suna and Konoha and was often gone. Kankuro, who had grown quite fond of the couple, was nothing short than doting, himself.

"I brought you lunch, Gaara," Tsumiko said with a smile as she opened the door to his office and walked in.

It was a large room. A big burgundy desk sat centered in the back of the room, a pair of tall bookshelves towered behind him. To the right, the windows gave way to the bright sunlight that midday had to offer. In the chair behind the desk, a surprised Gaara looked up from the papers in his hand. He smiled, standing from his seat and stretching. It wasn't too often that Tsumiko came to visit him. Usually, she'd make him go home for lunch, which he sometimes missed by accident.

She pranced up to him, swinging the bento box in her hand as she walked. Her silver hair swung as well, from side to side, catching the light that came in through the window. Secretly, the color of her hair was one of Gaara's favorite things about her, along with her hauntingly innocent eyes. When she set the box on the desk beside him, he pulled her into a hug, nuzzling the top of her head. Tsumiko giggled, returning the hug.

"It's your favorite," she smiled up at him.

He looked down, doing the same. "Thank you," he said, kissing her gently on the forehead. He turned and looked at the bento, noting that there was two of them. "Will you be joining me, then?"

She nodded, lacing her fingers behind her back. "Of course!"

Gaara went to the closet and pulled out a folding chair, opened it, and placed it beside his desk. Sitting in it, he pulled out the far more comfortable seat from the desk, motioning for Tsumiko to sit in it.

She gave a playful curtsy. "Thank you, kind sir," she said as she sat in the seat, scooting it closer to him. Reaching for the bento, Tsumiko plopped it in front of her and untied the cloth around it. Handing one to Gaara, she opened the other for herself.

Halfway through, there was a knock at the door, and Gaara bid them in. Baki came in, holding a scroll most likely from a messenger hawk.

"Konoha has requested immediate aid," Baki said, tossing the scroll onto the desk.

Gaara shot him a look of worry. "Why?" he asked, standing from his seat.

"The letter wasn't very clear, just asked for you and whomever you chose to meet them by the border," Baki had a gruff tone. "It seems to be cleared by the translators, but it'd be best to stay on guard. I don't like the feel of this one," he said as he turned on heel for the door.

Gaara looked solemnly at the scroll on the desk. He, too, looked wary of it and it unnerved Tsumiko a great deal. She tossed the idea of asking what he thought about it back and forth for a moment when he said without looking at her, "I'm going to see what's going on. I want you to stay here and watch over Suna with Baki while I'm gone."

She stood, and looked at him with determination. There was a horrid feeling in her stomach. "Please, let me come with you."

He simply shook his head. "No. If the Leaf is requesting aid, then there's a serious problem," he looked at her with a gentle concern. "And I don't want you getting hurt..."

Tsumiko pouted. "Nor do I want you getting hurt! Please, just let me-"

He placed a hand behind her head to bring her closer and kissed her quickly on the forehead. "I'll be back as soon as I can," was all he said before dashing out of the office and leaving a pouty Tsumiko behind.

She stood there with a blank look, blinking at the open door. For a moment, Tsumiko was so lost in being denied for once, that she didn't know what to do with herself. Then, with a swift shake of her silver hair, she zoomed out the office, ensuring that the door was closed and locked behind her. She made her way to the house, slowly going inside to see if anyone was home. Tsumiko sighed with relief when no one was and went up the stairs and into the room that she and Gaara now shared. Obtaining the necessary items needed to cross the desert and many a bottled water, she turned on her heel with a victorious nod and left for the village gates.

Tsumiko was just in time to catch Gaara leaving with a squadron of hand-picked ninja. She recognized a few of them solely for the fact that she'd seen them so many times in Gaara's office that she was able to tell it was them from afar. After they had left, and Tsumiko was sure that she wouldn't be spotted in her pursuit of them, she walked toward the canyon that was the only entrance and exit of Suna.

She remembered something Temari had taught her a while back, "If you look like you know what you're doing, people tend to not question." She learned this only after being caught sneaking into the offices during Gaara's beginnings as the Kazekage. She learned so many things over the course of time she had spent with the Sand Siblings, it was near impossible to recall all of them.

She followed them diligently for all of that day and then part of the next. The harsh training they had put her through finally paying off, however unexpected the situation. The scorching heat of the sun reflected off the pale sand and made Tsumiko's cheeks flush. Did she really forget how unforgiving the desert was? A sip of her bottle and a small breather, she followed them the rest of the way to the border between Suna and Konoha. She had to skirt around about half a mile and enter the tree line from there, backtracking until she caught glimpse of Gaara's red hair through the greenery. Careful not to make a single peep, Tsumiko laid flat on her belly and continued to watch them. The Leaf ninja had yet to show, and to the squad stood around awkwardly.

Heavy eyes began to doze, the late morning heat now starting to lull Tsumiko to sleep. In the shade beside a bush, she highly cozy. Or rather, as cozy as one could get laying on their belly on the ground. The squad, too, was rather bored and were either occupying themselves with conversation or dozing off. Tsumiko's attentiveness quickly replaced that of her former tiredness at the sound of a twig snapping not too far from where she lay.

"I never thought it'd actually work," a sly voice cooed from the shadows. A man no older then herself reveled himself. Midnight black hair and onyx eyes framed a devilish smirk.

Gaara's features darkened. "Sasuke Uchiha," he said with anger slighting his voice. "What's the meaning of this?"

The man, who still had his back to Tsumiko, chuckled. "You're painfully predicable is what's going on here."

"Tch," Gaara scrunched his nose in detest, his arms now folded across his chest.

"All we had to do was say your comrades were in need, and you'd come running."

"_W__e_?" Gaara wasn't liking the sound of this.

"Yes. _We_," Sasuke smirked again and from the shadows behind him came three bodies. A rather large man with orange hair, a smaller one with white hair and jagged teeth, and a red-haired girl with glasses.

The woman sneered, "As always, Sasuke-sama is the very best."

"Can it! No one wants to hear your overly-fake compliments," said the white-haired man.

"Why you-"

She turned to punch him the face when the tallest of the three stepped between them. "This isn't the time or place for bickering," he grumbled.

Tsumiko was struggling to keep her breathing under control, a task not easily achieved for the panicky girl.

"What do you want?" Gaara seemed to speak for her. The squad that had accompanied him were now on their toes, weapons drawn.

"You," Sasuke said simply before the other three dashed forward.

With this one, simple move, three members of the squad were taken out, either killed or incapable of battle. There only stood one squad member and Gaara. Tsumiko squinted through the bushes to make out the face of the person standing beside the red-head. She nearly gasped in surprise when she seen Kankuro's face beneath the black hat. Why was he only now just pulling out Crow? Beside him, Gaara's disposition was growing cold and deadly. A chill ran down Tsumiko's spine. It had been so long since she had seen that look on his face. When had the last time even been...?

She shook her head, that thought was irrelevant. They were now fighting two on four, and for what it was, Gaara and Kankuro were holding their own very well. Tsumiko watched in horror as the fight progresses, and only began to feel slightly relieved when the two had managed to push back three of the four.

Sasuke raised an arm, signaling for his subordinates to back off. He grinned with dull amusement at the two that knelt before him, tired but not quitting. The terrain had changed again, just like the battle with the man that created the forest of bones. There was sand everywhere, and most the trees had fallen within that area. Tsumiko had found herself moving more than once so as to not get involved in the raging battle. She found it a wonder how she hadn't been caught or sensed by them.

"I guess I'll start with you," Sasuke said, looking at Kankuro with a look of bored disgust and kicked him hard in the gut. It set him flying a few feet, and he cringed, grabbing his stomach. Tsumiko twitched with an empathetic pain in her own stomach.

Sasuke turned back to Gaara, and the hair on the back of Tsumiko's neck stood on end. There was a flame in Sausuke's hand, growing larger and larger. He was going to hurt Gaara. She had to do something - anything! She looked around frantically was was nearly startled out of her skin when a distantly familiar voice crept into her thoughts.

_Don't just stand there!_ it hissed to her. _Do something!_

Against her own conscious will, Tsumiko's body began to move on it's own. Her hands pushed against the weight of her body and made her stand up off the ground, her feet moving like heavy lead in fast-forward. The heads of Sasuke's subordinates only hit enough time to glimpse her before she was standing before Gaara. The fire was burning her skin and Tsumiko cried out in agony.

"Tsumiko!" she heard Gaara's voice from behind her.

But she could be nothing but cry in pain. Tsumiko could feel her skin becoming charred and flaking off. Her screams became echo-y and all turned black, the flames no longer searing her flesh. She slumped against a surface of some kind, whimpering at the pain that shot throughout her body. Her consciousness was wavering in and out, and sometimes not at all, for what felt like a long time until there was a light that shone through the darkness. Gently yet urgent hands picked her up and out of the darkness, and through half-lidded eyes she could see that she was in a hospital and the doctors and removed her from inside Crow's open belly.

There was a flesh of red, and black beside it, that walked along side her and the doctors. Sight and sounds all blurred together into a muddled mess in her senses. Tsumiko was in to much pain to make sense of it all. She was laid down on something that she assumed was supposed to be soft but her body refused to take comfort in it.

"Gaara..." she cried out as best as her voice would allow, the choking sensation of tears welling in her throat but not in her eyes. The blur of red returned to her hazy vision once again before her sight was destroyed altogether.

_Where is he...?_ she wondered to herself, unknowing that he was standing beside her all that time.


	17. Step Seventeen

**_A/N:_ **Hey-yo everybody! Here's another chapter for you. I kinda had fun with this one, however ditzy it is. Anywho, I hope you guys enjoy. Thank you for reading.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and co.**

_"So I'm not dead?" Tsumiko asked._

_It was a long awaited reunion with the shadow from the dream realm. Beside them was the alter, now with three colored orbs sitting in their perspective indentations, green, blue and red. For some reason, the space around them was brighter. This sudden brightness caused the features of the nodding shadow to become clearer but not enough to see past the darkness that shrouded it. It was obviously female in nature, but that was all she could make out._

_Tears welled up in her eyes. She didn't actually die! Elated, Tsumiko jumped for joy. Now all she had to do was wake up and share the good news. But then it hit her. Tsumiko turned to face the shadow that now stood beside her, leaning against the alter._

_"But what of my body. I had been burned, so would it not be too far gone to use?"_

_It only smirked at her, shrugging its' shoulders. Now it was just teasing her._

_"I will still be the same person, right? Everyone will still know it's me?"_

_It nodded, playfully mocking her. She sighed with relief, placing a shaky hand upon her chest. "Good."_

_Looking at the alter, Tsumiko noted the orbs that still hovered above it: air, lightning, ice, darkness and light were left. She had died three times already, and had five more to go. Her head dipped into her chest, disappointed at her slow progress. It's been about two years now, maybe even more, since she was released from the confines of the tank._

_"If it is alright with you, I would like to wake up now. Gaara is most likely in need of comforting right about now," Tsumiko smiled at the shadow before her in a cheery manner._

_It had it's arms crossed over its chest and tipped its head to the side, confused, but not really caring as it shrugged its shoulders._

There was a rhythmic beeping on the machine at the bedside. Under the white sheets lay an unrecognizable body wrapped in bandages. From between the holes left for the eyes, one could only see the burnt black flesh of the body underneath.

In a chair beside the bed sat a red-haired man, staring out in front of him, lost in thought and wrought with worry. It was his fault that Tsumiko was in such a state, or so he kept telling himself, and it was his fault that she was expected not to make it past the next night despite the doctors' best efforts.

Three days he sat there, not moving, not eating, nothing. Only when his elder siblings insisted that he do something with his health did he do anything. This only worked by using the reassurance that Tsumiko would indeed wake up, and that she would not be the least bit happy to find that Gaara had refused to take care of himself in her absence.

He didn't realize when the person in the the bandages had woken up, eyes fluttering in an attempt to remove the ash over her eyelids. Her mouth was bandaged over, but she still managed to scrub off the burnt skin against it so she no longer tasted it on her lips.

It was this sound that broke Gaara from his trance. He shifted the sight of the white bandaged body into the corner of his eye, for a moment thinking that he had only imagined the sound. When he noticed it actually moving, his heart nearly leaped from his chest and he leaning on the bed in mere seconds.

"Tsumiko? Are you awake?" his voice was filled with doubt, but also excitement. When silvery eyes met with his, tears began forming in his eyes. He fell to his knees at the bedside, burying his head into the sheets. "I thought.. I thought I told you to never scare me like that again," he words were lost as a mumble into the sheets.

There was a shifting of weight and he looked up. Tsumiko was unwrapping the bandages from her right arm. He tried to stop her, but when her silver spoke her smile, he stopped, knowing that she knew what she was doing. While she was doing this, someone walked in.

"What is she doing?" Kankuro hollered, running to stop her. Temari was watching by the door, eyes wide with shock.

Gaara simply put up a hand to stop his brother. Looking at Tsumiko, he nodded for her to continue. She did, slowly unwrapping the white bandage and exposing the black skin under it. She then took the hand that was still wrapped and began rubbing off the flaky black ash. Removing her hand, there was smooth, pale skin showing.

"Oh my..." Temari seemed taken aback in disbelief at what she saw.

Gaara jumped to his feet, beginning to help unwrap the girl.

"Hold on! Holdonholdon..." Kankuro said as they began unwrapping her chest. He was looking away with a minor blush. He pointed to the bathroom that was in the room. "Go...finish in there."

Now that he thought about it, Gaara thought that was a good idea. There was a tub in there with a shower hose. Gently as he could, he picked up Tsumiko and moved her into the bathroom. "Temari," he poked his head out, eyes eyes asking the question for him.

She smirked, and walked over and into the small room, shooing him out. It took her awhile to completely unwrap the poor girl, and even longer to wash all the black from her skin. The bandaging was sitting in a rather large heap just outside the bathroom door. When she dropped it with a just amount of satisfaction, there were two doctors waiting in the room for Temari to finish.

"Thank you," was the first thing Tsumiko said when she finally was allowed to stand in the tub. Most of her long, knee-length silver hair had burned, leaving it at a little above her shoulder blades. Temari debated whether or not she like the new hair style for a moment before deciding that she could live with it. Granted, she'd still have to get a trim to remove all of the brunt strands.

She sighed, wrapping her in a towel that sat ready. Opening the door, she giggled to herself when Tsumiko was trying to cover up as much as she could with the tiny towel, clutching at the top rim of the cloth. Looking at Gaara, whose eyes were solely on Tsumiko, she noted the look of relief his face showed and smiled again. _So cute..._ she thought to herself.

The three of them waited outside to room in the hall. Naruto had appeared, hearing from Sakura of Tsumiko's sudden health. He clapped Gaara on the back, smiling the wide, derpy grin of his.

"That's great!" he said.

Gaara smiled in response. "Yeah..."

"I was afraid of what you'd do if she didn't make it..." Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

Gaara looked at him and wondered himself. "I'd rather not find out," he decided.

"Me neither. Y'know... You really had us worried," Kakuro gave him a side glance, leaning against the wall.

Temari nodded in agreement. "I know you were worried and all, but you really should have taken better care of yourself."

He was confused on the matter, but Naruto didn't say anything, just shoved his hands into his pocket. It only angered him that it was Sasuke that had done this to Tsumiko. When he learned that, Naruto was so angry that he went and vent-trained for a whole day.

"Did you not leave my side the entire time, Gaara?" Tsumiko's soft voice made him jump.

With a quick look, he turned his gaze to the floor, blushing with guilt. Tsumiko tipped her head to better see his face. She giggled behind a hand and pecked him on the cheek. This only intensified his blush.

"That makes me very happy. But next time, please do take care of yourself."

"Hopefully, there won't be a next time," Kankuro said in a solemn tone.

Tsumiko's heart skipped a beat. That's right... They didn't know of the shadow and the alter. They didn't know about the spheres and how they connected to her tragic accidents. Should she tell them? She looked to Gaara for an answer. He was looking back.

"Yes. Let's hope so too," Tsumiko swore she seen a smile hiding in his lips.

She smiled back, and nodded. "Yes, let us hope."

The doctors had pulled Gaara aside to talk with him, leaving Tsumiko with Temari, Kankuro, and Naruto. When they were done, he came over and nuzzled Tsumiko, making her give a small scream. Kankuro couldn't help but laugh at this reaction.

"They said that it was nothing short of a miracle that you survived, Tsumiko. They sadi that you should still be in intensive care," Gaara said.

"I believe that there is an angel watching over me," she smiled.

"Pfft, angels, my ass..." Kankuro turned to look at her. "You are just the luckiest damn girl I've ever met, and you want to thank angels?"

She nodded, and gave an assured smile. "I am most certain that there is something watching over me!"

"And I wouldn't doubt it," Gaara said, placing a gentle arm around her shoulder.

His brother gave him a suspicious overlook, not thinking that Gaara was one to believe in such things. He crossed his arms and nodded slowly, "Mm-hmm..."

"Well., Whatever the case, I'm glad you're okay, Tsumi," Temari chimed in. "Let's go home."

Tsumiko nodded with excitement, giddy at the use of the nickname being used after such a long time. "Yes."

After signing the parerwork that released Tsumiko from the hospital, they made their way to the gate of Konoha. It was about half an hour [ast midday, and the sun was high in the sky. There was a cool breeze, signalling the arrival of fall. Flocks of birds flew away to the south, their chirping a melodious sound in Tsumiko's ear. She didn't get to hear the birds often in the desert, so she soaked up as much as she could while she was there. Naruto seen them off, giving that goofy grin that was his trademark. In the forest, the green mesmerized her, some of it was fading to orange or yellow. One or twice see seem an animal that was foreign to her, asking the others what they were like a small child. And for some reason, this asmused them to no end, and they were happy to answer her many questions.

Why were the leave such funny colors? What did the tres do when they lost all those leaves? Why were the animals so shy? The list went on and on. At one point, she even tried to coo a young fawn into coming closer. It ran away when she tripped over a tree root. then they stopped at a small tea shop at Temari's request. She said she usally went there on her way to and from Suna and they served really good tea.. One look at the little hut, and Tsumiko instantly ran up to it and looked in the window.

The old man inside peered out of it from inside and blinked for a moment as he looked at her.

"Hello, mister!" she said with glee.

"Tsumiko! You can't just run up and yell at people like that!" Temari pulled her away from the window and added in a quieter tone, "It kinda freaks them out."

The old man smiled and stood from his chair and walked outside to greet them. "I know you, hm? I would never forget a face like yours, I'm sure," he stared at Tsumiko in an attempt to remember.

She smiled and nodded. "Mmhm! You gave me directions to Konoha long ago and gave me water to drink."

"Ah, yes. The young lady who didn't want my tea," he said with playful hurt.

"I am most sorry, mister."

"It's quite alright, young lady. But never did I think you'd be companions with Miss Temari, here," he said, patting her gently on the back.

She smiled. "Yep. About the closest thing to a sister I got. But would you mind-"

"Of course, of course!" the man said, wagging a finger as he trotted back inside to put on a kettle. "It might take a moment, but I'll have it ready here in no time," he said from inside.

"Thank you," Temari yelling into the window.

"Quaint little place, isn't it?" Kankuro said mostly to himself.

"Quaint...?" Tsumiko tipped her head to the side.

"It means... Oh god, how to describe it.."

"It means to be unusually attractive," Gaara answered.

Tsumiko nodded. "Okay. Quaint," she repeated the word to herself, taking a seat on the bench beside Temari. She smiled to herself. "Then... Gaara is quaint!"

Temari burst into a fit of giggles. "No, Tsumi. That's adorable, but no."

"No?" she was confused.

"No, it's used more to describe objects or places," Kankuro joined the giggling.

Tsumiko looked to Gaara's madly blushing face which looked off to the side down the road. "Oh..." she pouted.

"Here it is!" the old man came from within the hut with a set of cups upon a try. "Nice and hot."

"Ah, thank you," Temari managed through giggles.


	18. Step Eighteen

**A/N:** Hey everyone! Sorry, no Gaara in this chapter, just a plot advancement... He will return, though! So have faith. I got the next couple of chapters planned out, so I think the ending should be upon us here in the next five or so chapters. I might drag it out if I get convinced of such things... Aaaaanyways... As always, my lovely readers, enjoy. Oh! And this one's rated.. uh.. T++ (?) for language..? It's borderline, I think between T and M... I dunno. But enjoy reguardless, dear.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naurto or any such awesomness...**

"Let me out. Please..." Tsumiko slumped against the locked door of a dark, windowless room. From her blind exploration, she was able to make out a small cot on the far side, but that was all that presented itself in the small 5'x3' room. She banged on the door meekly with her fist, tears dripping from her eyes.

It all happened so fast. They were drinking tea all together at the old man's shop and then she was being thrown over someone's shoulder like a sack of potatoes and was dashing through the forest. The kidnapper's speed was something to be in awe of, shaking off Gaara and the others so easily. Once or twice, they almost caught up due to Tsumiko's persistent cries leading them in the right direction. This annoyed them greatly, it seemed, as they quickly gagged her and placed a simple strip of fabric over her eyes. It all happened so fast, Tsumiko didn't even get to see what her kidnapper looked like nor was she able to fully grasp the situation until she was thrown into the small room.

Again, she pounded feebly on the door, to tired to actually make it pronounced. All sense of time was lost the moment she was thrown in there, but the feeling of absolute fatigue and hunger had drained her of all her strength. Only the sheer force of will made Tsumiko continue to bang on the door. She tapped her forehead against it, not able to stop the tears as she cried. The bangs of her short silver hair stuck to her cheeks.

She took a deep breath. "Let me out!" her voice cracked. Her throat was unbearably dry and her stomach was screaming in protest to the lack of food. She also had to use the toilet and refused to do so in the tiny room.

"Shut up!" she heard a low grumble from the other side of the door.

"But I have to go to the bathroom," she replied.

There was a long pause, and Tsumiko assumed that the man on the other side had ignored her request. She squinted when light unexpectantly entered the room and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. Looking up, there was a man standing above her in a black cloak with red and white clouds on it. His face was undefinable with the white hood and black mask that covered it. Only his cold, green eyes were visible.

He pointed to his left, the other hand tightly gripping the door's handle. "Make it quick," he hissed.

Tsumiko quickly stood to her feet and exited what she gather was an empty closet. There was a large bed and a desk and dresser in this room. Out the window on the far side, she saw night colored skies and the very top of trees in the distance The glass was covered in rain water. In the direction that she was pointed in, there was a door. Opening it, there was indeed a bathroom. Closing the door and locking it, she relieved herself. It felt awkward, being in an unknown place, but comforting in the fact that she no longer had to pee. In the mirror on the other wall, Tsumiko could see her eyes were red and puffy, making it painfully obvious that she had been crying for a long time.

When she unlocked the door and stepped out, the man was leaning against the wall beside the bathroom, waiting for her to get out. She gripped her shirt and took a breath of courage. "I'm hungry," she managed to squeak.

The man looked at her with those same cold, uncaring eyes, pushing off the wall. "And?"

The words caught in her throat. How did she reply to that? A sudden thought made her feel rather ingenious. "I won't make a good hostage if I should die of starvation." She was a hostage, right? The truth in her quiet words made the man sigh.

"Fine," he took Tsumiko roughly by the arm and dragged her back into the closet-cell. Tossing her in, he said, "I'll bring you your damn food," before he slammed the door and locked it again.

A little while after, he returned with a tray to find her balled up on the tiny cot. A slice of bread, leftover noodle something-or-other and a glass of water was all she was given. He thumped it on the floor, careful not to tip the glass.

"Here," he said bluntly. "Don't expect any more."

She jumped to her feet and sat in front of the tray. "Oh no, thank you," she said, mustering what strength she could to give the man a gentle smile. He just glared down at her.

"Pfft," he began to close to door.

"Oh wait!" she reached out for him. He stopped, but didn't look at her. "Might I eat out there?" she pointed out into the larger room. "I cannot see in here, so I might make a mess... I-I promise to behave."

From the corner of his eye, he looked at Tsumiko's delicate frame and debated the matter. He just left the door ajar and returned to the desk, not wanting to mop up her mess. "You'll go back in when you're done."

Her heart fluttered with relief. As quietly as she could, she scooted the tray out into the middle of the room and sat on the floor. There was an eerie silence as she ate, not a word was said. Tsumiko tried her best to draw out her freedom for as long as possible. It swiftly ended when the man grew impatient and told her to hurry up.

She stood beside him at the desk, holding the now empty tray out for him. "I-I am sorry," she said, staring at her dirty shoes.

He took it and put it on top a stack of papers on the desk. He stood with a disgruntled sigh and guided her back to the closet.

"Mister?" she asked as he tried to close the door again.

"What do you want this time?" it was very evident that he was refraining from killing her.

"Might I know where I am, so that I may know who it is that holds me captive?"

"No," the door slammed shut and the mechanisms sounded with a rather loud _clank_ as it locked.

Disheartened, Tsumiko flopped onto the cot. At least she now had a face to put to her captor. But to put a name to a face was now the challenge... In the back of her mind, she became thankful for the witty mind games Kankuro teased her with. They taught her how to play them herself, though she wasn't yet very good at them... She thought up stories and simple jokes to share with Kankuro and Temari, and how she would give Gaara a very long hug when she was finally saved. There was a heaviness in her heart. Would they save her? Of course they would. Right..? Her confidence wavered in and out as she began to fall into a fitful sleep.

The sudden sound of the door slamming open and yelling voices woke Tsumiko with a start. She sat up blinking into purple eyes. The man before her wore a crazed smile, silver hair slicked back. Early morning light trickled in from the window on the other side of the room, and an enraged voice barked at the man before her.

"Hidan, what the hell do you think you're doing?" the man with the mask over his face pulled Hidan from the closet rather violently, slamming him against the far wall next to the window.

"Ow! God damn, Kakuzu... I was just getting a good look at the girl," he said with a cocky grin, standing to his feet.

"Like hell you were. What are you doing in here?"

"Fucking lazy ass Leader wanted me to make sure you didn't let the damn girl die. Don't see why he didn't just come here himself..."

"Tch..."

Tsumiko peeked out of the closet on her hands and knees, getting a better look at the man named Hidan. He wasn't wearing a shirt, showing his rather muscular body. There was a necklace with a round amulet that hung from his neck.

Kakuzu pointed to the bathroom with his back to her. "Go now while you can."

Hidan was about to question his partner when he seen Tsumiko scramble out of the closet and into the bathroom. "Wow... How fucking generous of you," he said mockingly.

"Far from it. I just don't was her pissing in my closet..."

Hidan gave a loud cackle. "What a sight that would be... Say. Why did we take the little bitch again?"

Kakuzu sighed. How stupid could his partner get? "I'm not going to repeat myself to you."

His partner crossed his arms, glaring daggers at the back of his head as he sat at his desk, tallying up his earning for Jashin-only-knows what time that day. When the lock on the door clicked, and the pathetic girl walked out. Her timid posture and shy silver eyes only ticked Hidan off that much more.

"You," he barked at her. Kakuzu peered at him from the corner of his eye. "What's your name?"

She jumped a little at suddenly being asked questions. "Ts-Tsumiko," she said as loud as she dared. "Tsumiko Shikami."

He smirked at the name. "Huh... You're one lucky bitch to have lived this long with a name like that."

"What are you mumbling about?" Kakuzu grunted from the desk.

"The bitch's name, that's what! Fucking Jashin blessed her from birth!" he said with such glee.

"Get out," Kakuzu said bluntly, pointing to the open door out of the room.

From where she was standing, Tsumiko could see a long, empty hallway. There were no decorations, just many doors.

"Tch," Hidan huffed. "One day, you'll be begging Jashin-sama for fucking mercy and he won't give it to you."

Tsumiko watched with utter horror as he stomped out of the room and down the hall. At the other end, there were stairs, of to which he descended.

"Close the door," Kakuzu said, tearing Tsumiko's attention from staring down the hall.

She reluctantly obliged, closing the door and turning back to face him.

"I don't care what you do," he said without looking up from the money in his hands. "But the moment you distract me, I will not hesitate to beat you within an inch of your life and throw you back in there."

Without a sound, she bowed, and looked around the empty room. Eventually, she found herself seated on the smallest amount of space she could achieve on a corner of the bed and staring out the window. Just the same as yesterday, the glass was covered in rain and the sky was a murky gray with clouds. She was several stories above ground, four or five, she ventured to guess, and the city below seemed rather dead save for the lonely body every once in a long while. She sat there being as quiet as possible, her eyes glazing over after a while and staring at nothing in particular. There was a muffled sound in her ears, but she paid it no mind.

"You will fucking speak when you're fucking spoken to, bitch," a hand crossed her cheek, causing it to sting.

Tsumiko tumbled to the floor, breaking her trance. She looked up at the man hovering over her, tears teetered in her eyes at the pain she felt in her face as she touched it. Hidan stood there with a disgusted look on his face. Looking around, she noticed that it had grown dark outside again, and that Kakuzu was no where to be seen. The blood-lust in the eyes of the man before her frightened Tsumiko to no end and it made her squirm in discomfort.

Words trapped themselves in her throat and she gazed up at him. When he reached a hand for her, a fight-or-flight instinct overcame her. Somehow managing to dodge Hidan's outstretched hand, she nimbly crawled between his legs and dashed for the open door. He took a moment to realize what had just happened, allowing her a few seconds' head start. He laughed manically as he dashed after her. She heard this just as she reached the stairs. In her chest, her heart was pounding so fast, she didn't know if it was going to pound it's way from her chest and march out.

Each step down the stairs was one step closer to defeat, as she soon found out. Three flights down, Hidan jumped the distance and landed just in front of her, pinning her against the wall by the throat.

"I don't fucking think so, bitch," he smirked at her, feeling her quick pulse beneath his hand. She kicked a bit, flailing out due to the fact that she was being lifted off the ground. "May Jashin-sama have mercy on you," he sneered.

Her fingers tried to pry his from around her neck, gasping for what little air she could manage to obtain. The pressure he put onto her was immense and it made breathing impossible. She looked into his purple eyes with despair, only pleasing the man further. The familiar sensation of her lungs screaming for air returned to her. She was dying, that much she could make out. But would the shadow be generous this time around? Her flailing weakened until it became nonexistent. The fingers clawing at his hand dropped to Tsumiko's side and Hidan waited until he was sure she was dead until he dropped her onto the stairs, watching her roll down the remaining couple of steps to the next landing.

With another satisfied smirk, he said, "To the Divine Death of the Child of Sin."

"What the hell did you just do?" came his partner's enraged voice as he stared at her lifeless body, a tray of food in his hands.


	19. Step Nineteen

**A/N: **Hey everybody! It's me, back with Akatsuki happenings, round dos! Dun dun DUUUNNNN! Anyways, it is at this point in time, reviews are very much appreciated and are slowly becoming my drug... So feel free to leave a review in the little box! *jingles box* Wait... boxes don't jingle...

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, though sometimes I wished I lived there...**

Tsumiko was laying on her back when she woke up. There was loud voices shouting over her when she finally did come to.

"How are you going to explain this to Leader?"

"The little bitch ran, so I chased. Isn't that what you told me to fucking do?"

"Chase, yes. Kill, no."

"Well, fuck that," Hidan's displeased voice huffed.

Slightly opening her eyes, Tsumiko could make out two hazy figures standing beside her. The cold green eyes of Kakuzu turned onto her sharply.

"It seems as though you're in luck," he said, motioning to her.

Hidan gave her a halfhearted once-over, and immediately did a double-take. "How the hell..?"

Tsumiko let her eyes flutter open as she regained her bearings and sat up. They were still in the stairwell, and she assumed that it was Kakuzu who had taken the liberty of laying her out straight on the cement landing.

"You were dead just a moment ago, so how are you still alive?" his voice echoed in the stairwell. When she didn't answer him, and just curled into herself as she stared at them, he spoke again. "Answer me, or I _will_ kill you."

Her eyes dashed to him. "I-I am... I do not - did not," her words caught in her throat at his cold stare. "It was the sh-shadow."

"Shadow?"

"What the hell does that mean?"

Hidan's loud voice made poor Tsumiko shrink away, hiding her face from them. This earned him a swift slap to the back of the head. "What the fuck!?"

"Stop talking," Kakuzu was obviously irritated and turned back to Tsumiko. "Tell me what you meant."

"To fuck with that!" Hidan said, kneeling beside her. He pinched her cheeks between his hand, shaking her head to look at his partner as he brought her closer. "She was obviously blessed by Jashin-sama! She's immortal like me!"

Kakuzu chuckled lightly. "I think you're full of it," he said, turning to go up the next flight of stairs. The words, "He is right," made him stop in his tracks and turn back to look at her. "What?"

"I-in a way, he is right..." Tsumiko stood to her feet, slowly but full of false confidence. "I am not sure what this shadow is, but it - _she_ - protects me and saves me when I should die. Wh-when you kidnapped me, I had just been released from the hospital from fatal burn wounds that disappeared in a matter of days." She thought of how she saved Gaara from suffering those wounds and then seen both of them were staring at her, silent. "Before that, I had drowned in the ocean and sank to the bottom," she remembered how Gaara had risked his life to save hers. She began to fight the urge to cry. "And then, I... I..."

Tsumiko began tearing up and slumped back to the floor. She put balled fists to her eyes in an attempt to hide them.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Hidan said, almost disgusted with her sudden behavior.

"I-I... I w-want to see G-Gaara," she hiccuped.

* * *

Gaara was pacing back and forth in the Hokage's office, his brother and sister were watching him in the expectation that he'd eventually walk a rut right into the floor and fall through. When the door opened, he stopped and turned to meet the Lady Hokage herself.

"What's this all about?" her stern voice spoke. She sat in her chair and crossed her legs. Long blonde pigtails sat atop a large chest that showed more than it should have through the semi-open top she wore. Piercing caramel eyes were made even more so by the purple marking set on her forehead.

"She was kidnapped right from under me..." Gaara spoke as though those words had been repeating themselves over and over in his mind. He continued pacing.

"Who? And who took them? Make some sense or I won't be able to help you."

"Tsumiko. They took Tsumiko," he sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

Tsunade was about to question when Temari spoke up, growing widely concerned for her brother. "Tsumiko is... a really close friend of ours. We pretty much consider her family and she's very important to us."

"That still doesn't tell me who-"

"Those damn Akatsuki bastards..." Kankuro, who had been leaning against the wall, slammed a fist into it. There was a dangerous look in his eyes.

Hearing this perked Tsunade's interest. "The Akatsuki? Why would they..."

"It may... have something to do with her lost memories," Gaara finally stopped his pacing, gazing into the empty space before him.

"Gaara I don't think-" Temari was cut off.

He spun around to look at her. "No! No, I think it does. Remember the very first time we brought her into a training arena? How she was somewhat different?"

"Yeah, how could we forget? She basically kicked our asses and didn't even know how she did it," Kankuro scoffed, looking to the side.

"Gaara, you don't mean that," Temari looked at him. "That they want to.. to make her use that power, do you?"

"I'm officially lost," Tsunade sat back abruptly and crossed her arms.

They then began to explain everything, from the very beginning. How they found her in two century old ruins, how her she was suffering from a so-called 'amnesia', the strange occurrences that all seemed to revolve around poor Tsumiko. The flashbacks, the nightmares, everything. Gaara went so far as to even divulge the information he kept secret about the dream shadow and the alter and every tiny detail about anything he could. Like how she survived the drowning and burning...

"Why... Why didn't you tell us this?" Temari's hurt echoed in both her voice and her eyes.

Gaara sighed. "She... She didn't want you guys getting involved. She believed that if you knew, you'd have the possibility of getting hurt or-"

"Or hurting her," Kankuro's cold voice cut like ice. "That's why she was having those nightmares, wasn't it? Because she took them from you when you buried her alive?"

"You _what_?" Tsunade couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"She asked me to. And there hasn't been a day that goes by where I don't feel guilty about it."

"She _asked_ you to..."_  
_

"So then what of the shadow? What has it got to do with all of this?" Temari was just about hissing.

"Tsumiko believed that it's guiding her toward her locked memories."

"So?" Kankuro was losing his temper. "What if it's lying?"

"It doesn't actually speak, but it knows things that it won't be able to tell her until she unlocks the alter..."

"And what is this alter, exactly?" Tsunade attempted to intercept the conversation and quell the rage that was building up.

"It's... I'm not sure what exactly what it is except for what it looks like," Gaara was trying to look at anything in the room but the people.

"Can you... draw it out for me?"

"She already has..." he said as he pulled a worn, folded piece of paper from the inside of his gourd holster. Unfolding it, he placed it on the desk before the Hokage.

Curious, his siblings crept closer to see the well drawn picture of the alter and the orbs that floated midair. Tsumiko had drawn several views, including an above view. As she examined it, Tsunade found it somewhat familiar. But from where?

"Shizune," she called to the woman that stood silently behind her.

"Yes, ma'am?"

She held up the piece of paper for Shizune to see, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Does this look familiar to you?"

She, too, looked at it with a ping of sudden deja vu. "I do, but.. I'm afraid I don- Oh! Hold on!" she called as she ran out of the room.

Tsunade blinked, and set the paper on the desk again, lacing her fingers together. There was an awkward silence for a moment until Shizune returned, carrying an over-sized tome. It made a loud bang as she dropped it on the desk. Kankuro was sure that if it were any bigger, it would have broken the solid wood desk.

"And this is...?" Tsunade wasn't sure what to made of it.

"This," Shizune gently placed her fingertips on the cover, leaning toward her confused Hokage with a grin. "...holds the answer, I do believe."

"And why is that?"

"This holds every myth, every folktale, every legend, every wives tale of forgotten societies and ancient cultures."

"That would explain why it's so big..." Kankuro mumbled under his breath.

"And?" Tsunade crossed her arms, putting one leg over the other as she leaned back.

Shizune grinned even wider, opening the tome and searching for a specific page. "I know it's in here..."

"What's in there, Shizune?"

"This!" she pointed to the page she was looking for.

"Oh my god..." Temari whispered slowly in disbelief, staring at the page, then to the drawing Tsumiko had made and back again.

"That's it..." Gaara confirmed, now trying to get as much from the tome as he could.

* * *

And they sat there, watching her, letting her have her breakdown. They waited until she was done, and from over the top of her fists, she looked at them with puffy red eyes. They were bored and annoyed and were standing at either of the flights of stairs. With one last hiccup, she dropped her hands.

"Gaara is the Kazekage of Suna, right?" Kakuzu finally broke the silence. She nodded, sniffling. "What if I can guarantee your seeing him?"

"What the hell are you talking abo-" Hidan was cut off by Kakuzu thrusting his hand into his face.

"What do you say?" Kaukzu words was as close to silk as the man could ever manage.

Tsumiko eyed him suspiciously, looking him up and down. "Y-you would do that... for me..?"

"Of course."

"This is starting to fucking creep me out," Hidan also began eyeing his partner.

"You promise I'll be able to see him?"

"I'll promise you in any which way you want me to," she was sure he was grinning under that mask of his. "It'll just take us a little... time... to arrange something."

Tsumiko stood to her feet, never taking her eyes off the man. Slowly, she held out her hand to him. Quickly, he took her outstretched hand and shook it.

"Then we have a deal."


	20. Step Twenty

**A/N:** Hey y'all! How goes it? Here's the twentieth installment of How to Melt a Heart of Ice. Sorry it took such a long time to get out, I was having quite a dandy of a time trying to get this one to carry on smoothly. But I did it! So I hope you enjoy. Thank you for reading.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

In agreeing to cooperate with them, Tsumiko was given proper accommodation with the promise that she would be a "good girl" and wait until they were finished. She was given a room to herself, and was given proper meals. It was Hidan's job to make sure she got fed, direct orders from 'Leader'. And strangely enough, the blood-crazed man obliged with little resistance.

There were moments where he would stand by the open door and stare at her with a deranged grin of some sort, leaning against the door frame at times with crossed arms. She almost didn't dare to guess what he was thinking, though she could guess that it involved trying to kill her again. It put her on edge and she eventually refused to eat until he left because of the strange vibes he gave her.

It was an entire week that she sat there, quietly waiting for them. She was staring out the window again. It was raining again. It always seemed to be raining there. Only once did she see the sun peek through the clouds, and that was only for a small portion of a minute. Tsumiko deducted that she was in a city, and the room she sat in was near the top floor of a large tower.

"What are you always looking at?" Hidan's bored voice nearly made her scream as he stared out the window with her.

"I-I... I am not sure," she turned from looking at him with wide eyes and back to the window, softening her gaze. "I do not really have much else to do in here but look out the window..."

He stood straight, crossing his arms. "I guess..." He closed his eyes in concentration before opening them again with a wicked grin. "You wanna go pull a prank on some dip-shit idiot?"

Tsumiko tipped her head to the side, looking at him with confusion. "Prank...?"

"Oh don't tell me you don't know what a fucking prank is!" She shrank away in embarrassment. "Jashin! What have those Sand Bastards been teaching you all this time?"

Tsumiko quickly stood to her feet and faced him with a fire in her eyes. "You can say what you like about me. You can torment and keep me as a caged bird as you please. But you will _not_ insult Gaara and the others."

Hidan simply smirked. "Is that so..?"

The sudden realization at what she said hit her square in the chest. In an attempt to keep her flair, she nodded. "Y-Yes..."

He chuckled. "You got guts, bitch. Either you really don't fear death, or you're just a slave to your emotions... Anyways, that bastard found your fucking lover. I was told to come all the way the fuck up here and tell you that."

"What? G-Gaara's here?" she looked at him with disbelief.

"Well... not here. They're gonna take you to him."

"Thank you!" Tsumiko fell back onto her butt when she realized that she was two inches from hugging the man before her.

Hidan gave her a weird look before slowly nodding and backing up to the door. "Well... we'll be on the first floor when you're ready," he said before leaving.

Tsumiko looked around for anything that may or may not be hers and found nothing of use. Standing from the bed, she made her way to the open door and down the hall. Down sixteen flights of stairs, and remembered the one that Hidan had caught her on, Tsumiko finally found herself on the first floor. Standing by the door to the building was Hidan, Kakuzu and another body she had yet to meet.

He was much taller than the other two, with a mess of green hair on his head. Half of his face was white and the other black and upon his shoulders sat over-sized green leaves. It sort of reminded her of a Venus flytrap. He also wore the same black cloak as the others.

"About time," Kakuzu sighed under his breath, sending Tsumiko a cold glare.

"**Is this her?**" said the black and white man.

"Tch. Yeah," Hidan smirked and crossed his arms.

"This is Zetsu. He'll be taking you to see your 'precious' Gaara," Kakuzu said mockingly. Tsumiko's heart fluttered. The time had finally come, and all she could do was nod. "But-" he continued. "You have to do something for us, afterwards."

She nodded eagerly. "Y-Yes, anything!"

"_Heheheh... Anything, she says!_"**  
**

"**You might want to rephrase that, girl.**"

"I-I-"

"Does it matter?" Kakuzu hissed. He took a deep breath and looked back to her. "All we need you to do in return is..."

* * *

Tsumiko was having a hard time catching her breath. In front of her, right there on the ground was Gaara. She plopped to her knees beside him, her hands muffling her sobs. His face was cracked, the sand shield penetrated. All that time she waited, they were killing him. How could she be so blind?

"He is..."

"**Dead? Yeah,**" Zetsu's black half sneered.

"_And it was about time, too. He put up such a fight,_" the white half said.

The blonde that was standing next to a large clay bird huffed. He was missing his right arm and the cloak he wore was in tatters. "And who is she?"

There was a third man in a cloak. An swirled orange mask covered all of his face except for his left eye. "If I were to guess, she's the girl that guy paid us so much to kidnap."

Tsumiko held her breath, stifling her tears. "What?" she whispered.

"Hm? Didn't they tell you?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Tobi!" the blonde beat him into the ground, grinding his foot into Tobi's skull. "Something like that is obviously not something you'd tell a hostage!"

"D-Deidara-sempai! It hurts!" Tobi was squirming on the ground.

Tsumiko was staring at them with wide eyes. A gentle hand was placed on Gaara's chest and the other still against her lips. "Wh-who wanted me...?"

"**Just some guy.**"

"_He paid a nice price for you. Refused to pay us if you were even so much as scratched, though. Hm... What was his name?_"

"**Kento, I** **believe.**"

Her heart stopped for what felt like an eternity. Kento? The man that had tried to take her away? The one who let her drown in the ocean? That same Kento? What did he want with her?

"**But we held up our end of the bargain.**"

"_Now you have to obey any one thing we ask._"

That was the price Tsumiko had to pay, even if the circumstances weren't in her favor. With one last touch to Gaara's grainy face she got to her feet, fresh tears streaming from her silver eyes, and nodded. Never did she take her eyes off of the body the lay on the ground.

"Of course," the words came out as a whisper.

"**Then go with Kento without a fight.**"

"_Let him take you with no argument._"

She nodded.

"_Good girl._"

There was a rustling in the bushes behind them and all three of the men turned and were at the ready. Tsumiko nearly stopped breathing entirely when she seen the dark shades of Kenton peek out from the shadows. His chocolate brown hair reminded her of Hidan's slicked back 'do. There was just something about that scene that seemed so right.

"_Ah. There you are, Kento. We were starting to think you wouldn't show._"

"Wouldn't show?" he chuckled. "Why... I wouldn't have missed this for the world!"

He dropped a large briefcase into the grass at his feet. "Here's your money. Take it and leave."

"Tch!" Deidara scoffed as his clay bird shifted to pick up Gaara's dead body. "With pleasure."

Tsumiko had to resist all instincts to try and stop the man from carrying him away. To not kick and scream and fight back. But she had made a deal. She watched as Zetsu picked up the briefcase, opened it, and close it again. "**Remember our deal,**" he said to her before both he and Tobi jumped off into the trees.

"What deal?" Kento asked gently, placing a caring hand on her back.

She shrugged it off, not looking at him. "We had made a deal... where if I went with you without fighting, they would let me see Gaara," she said through tears.

"Mm, I see..."

She took a step away from him, her head bowed. "Kento... Why did you have them kidnap me?"

He froze for a moment, taken aback by her sudden question. He grinned. "It was the only way that I'd be able to see you without anyone interfering."

"Inter...fering...?" she peered at him through her bangs.

"Heh heheh... You're such a silly little girl..."

"What... are you talking about?" she took a hesitant step back.

His laughter was quite unnerving. "Why, my dear, I know your memories were erased, but it still saddens me that I'm not familiar to you."

"H-How did you know... about my memories?" she took another step back.

"My dear, sweet Tsumiko," he chuckled, throwing a gloved hand out to the side. "I'm the one who erased them!" From his outstretched hand, chakra began to gather. Tsumiko tripped over nothing, falling to the ground. One hand was supporting her, the other raised defensively. "But now you know to much..."

_"Sweet dreams," said the man, as he stroked the glass gently with a gloved hand._

"You..." she whispered.

"Me," he retorted with a sneer.

In his hand, sparks of light began flickering to life. It was a dark light and the very sight of it made Tsumiko's heart race. She jumped to feet, attempting to flee into the woods.

There was a dark laughter from behind her. "I thought you promised to be a good little girl, hm?"

She continued running, slapping away tree branches and anything else that might stand in her way. Gaara. She had to get to Gaara. She had to make sure he made it out ok... even if she didn't... The laughter echoed again. It seemed to be coming from all around her now. Left. Right. Up. Down. Where was he?

"Not today," he was standing in front of her, the ball of light in his hand now visibly definable as lightning. "You will die here - today - and I will make sure of it this time. I failed the last time, but now..." he grinned, "...you will be the ultimate sacrifice."

She bumped into something in her retreat from his slow advancement toward her. There seemed to be nothing but a wall of trees behind her, beside her on both sides.

"Nowhere to run," his voice sang out, the grin on his face growing wider. He punched his fist into the tree beside her head, wood chips flying every which way. The other hand wielding the lightning ball drew close to her chest.

"Sweet dreams," he whispered and trusted his hand into her. Tsumiko screamed with all that she could. The feeling of electricity coursing through each and every vein was traumatizing. With an unsympathetic look, he watched her drop to the ground, steam rising from the underside. "Perhaps this time, you'll stay dead." He spat on her before turning to leave.

_"What...?" Tsumiko touched her stomach with a hazy head. The spot where the ball of lightning had ended up was non-existent. Getting to her feet, she looked to find herself in the dream realm's meadow. There was a gentle breeze in the air, and it carried the heavy scent of flowers. Down along the path that weaved itself in and out of the meadow, Tsumiko saw the shadow standing beside the alter as always._

_Walking up to it, it looked at her. The darkness surrounding it had lessened again and its features were little by little beginning to come to light. In the hazy darkness... was that..?_

_"You are late," its cold tone echoed all around her. Though, as least, Tsumiko was sure it was the shadow that spoke._

_"Late for what?" she dared to ask._

_"The Time of Encounter. You have made us late."_

_"Us? Time of Encounter..?" the words seemed familiar somehow. Where did she hear that name before..?_

_It looked off to the side. "Mm... That is right... That man has impaired your mind..."_

_"M-Might I ask-"_

_"Who he is? That I cannot say, for I know not, myself."_

_"I see..."_

_"But I can say that he is a threat to all that lives."_

_She nodded, taking in the information. After a long while, she asked, "Then who-"_

_"Am I? Why, my dear," it placed a hand near her check, almost touching her skin but not quite. Its disposition softened and Tsumiko was sure it was smiling. "I am you."_


	21. Step Twenty-one

**__A/N:** I'm sooo sorry, guys! I just got... lost? with this chapter...? I had a horrible case of writer's block, and nothing seemed to want to fit together the way I wanted it to. And on a heavier note, I can see this story ending in the next couple of chapters... Oh, the agony... Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read my story and I really appreciate it.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

_"You... are me..?" Tsumiko said to herself. "What do you-"_

_"If you want to get specific, I am the you you formally were."_

_"Formally?"_

_"Mm. Before that bastard erased our memories."_

_Tsumiko was looking from the shadow to her hands and back again. The alter before her had only three floating orbs, five set into the stone. "I am almost there," she told herself._

_The shadow followed her gaze. "So you are. You've been admirable in your efforts. But that does not change that we are still late."_

_"What is the Time of Encounter?"_

_"That... would be better left unsaid," it said, looking away and out toward the meadow. The air around it became nervous, scared even._

_"Why will you not tell me?"_

_"It's just not something you need to worry about for right now, 'kay?"_

_Reluctantly, Tsumiko gave a small nod and let the topic drop._

_"What is... going to happen now?"_

_"Hm? I will tell you what's going to happen now. You are going to wake up, now that that bastard is a good long ways away, you are going to go find that Naruto kid and you are going to help revive Gaara."_

_"Gaara!" her heart nearly stopped when she remembered that state he was in. "H-He is okay?"_

_"Well... No... But there is a way to save! Or... so I believe..."_

_"If there is even the slightest hope that... that he can be saved, I want to believe in that hope."_

_"You got guts, kid. I like that. But the way you are now, there's no way that you'll be bale to stand up to the foes that stand before you," the shadow was blunt._

_"Ah- Then... What will I do?"_

_"You mean, 'What will _we_ do', hm?"_

_"Oh-" __A feeling warmed Tsumiko, causing her to smile. She looked at it with such shock, it laughed._

_"That look... I want to see it again sometime, mm? But for now, we have things to do. Now that I have been remotely unsealed, from here I can assist you in battle. So don't resist if I take over, 'kay?"_

_She nodded. "Mmhm," she nodded, bowing. "Thank you."_

_"Of course, dear."_

* * *

Tsumiko shot up, still against the tree trunk. in the forest. Looking around, it was almost dusk. Looking down, there was a gaping hole in the midsection of her shirt where Kento's lighting ball had hit her, showing a majority of her stomach.

_-ear me? Tsumiko. Can you hear me?_ the voice of the shadow called out to her.

"Mm? Y-yeah."

_Good. I'm sensing him some way north of here._

Tsumiko jumped to her feet. "Gaara..." Taking a couple steps forward she stopped. "Um... Wh-what way is north..?"

_Left. Go left..._ Tsumiko could hear the disappointment in its voice.

"Okay!" there was a sheepish grin on her face as she dashed off to the left.

Along the way, the voice of the shadow led her along and out of the forest. She found herself in a field filled with people surrounding something. _He's there._ Though tears fell from her eyes, her feet moved as quick as she could make them.

"Gaara!" she cried, worming her way through the crowd of both Leaf and Sand . In the center, sure enough, Gaara was laid out in the grass. Over him, Lady Chiyo and Naruto were bent over him. Temari and Kankuro were standing over them, and at the sound of her voice, quickly looked to see her making her way toward them.

"Tsumiko!" Temari quickly embraced her. "Oh my god! I was so worried." Tsumiko looked over Temari's shoulder at Gaara.

_Place your hands over theirs._ The shadow's voice beckoned.

"Mm," she nodded and escaped Temari's hold. Sitting beside Naruto, she looked up to Chiyo.

"It's not enough," she was sweating, breathing heavy.

"Then let me help," Tsumiko said softly, gently placing her hands over-top Naruto's.

He just looked at her with surprise. And justly so, being that her appearance wasn't exactly composed. "What happened?" he asked.

"I will tell you later," her strong tone hid the fear in her heart. Watching Gaara's face for any sign of life, she kept a strong appearance despite the tears that flowed freely. She could feel her energy draining as her chakra poured into Gaara.

"Tsumiko," Kankuro said doubtfully. "What happened."

Without looking away from her task, she said, "A lot has happened. But I will tell you when it feels right to do so."

_He's almost there. Hold on just a little longer, mm._

And within a few second's time, Gaara's eyes slowly opened.

"Oh thank goodness!" Tsumiko couldn't hold it in any longer, her shoulders shaking violently as she broke down and cried. He didn't even get to sit up for more than a second before he was knocked down again, Tsumiko wrapping her arms around him tightly. "I was so scared..."

In a moment of confusion, he just lay there and blinked, letting her sob into his shoulder. When he finally grasped the situation he slowly returned the hug, gripping her tightly. After struggling to sit up with Tsumiko still on him, he buried his face into her nape.

"You did it again, scaring me," he whispered into her ear.

"I guess that makes us even this time around," she said, leaning back to take a good look at him. The setting sun played in his eyes and the smile he wore only made that light even brighter.

The crowd began to cheer, chanting something or another. Beside them, Naruto thumbed his nose and gave that wide trademarked grin of his.

_The old lady..._

Tsumiko gasped slightly, a mix between the sudden interruption and remembering Lady Chiyo. On the ground, she laid motionless. "She gave her life for you..."

Gaara followed her gaze. He didn't say anything, but looked on in a sorrowful manner. Tsumiko got off his lap when he made a motion to retrieve her.

The next day, Tsumiko, Gaara, Kankuro and Temari were seeing off their friends from the Leaf. It was almost noon, but the sky was abnormally overcast, almost as though the desert felt their pain and sadness and gave them relief. The small funeral that was held for Chiyo was short and saddened.

Tsumiko was waving goodbye to Naruto and the others with her hand high above her head. They slowly disappeared into the haze that the desert created around them.

"Tsumiko..?" a gentle voice called out to her from behind.

She turned to look Gaara in the eye, bringing her arm down to her side. Temari and Kankuro were standing on either side of him. "Hm?"

"Let's go back. There's some things we need to talk about," his voice was unnervingly calm and it made Tsumiko's heart jump at the sound.

"O-Okay..." she said with a slight nod.

Back at the house, they were all sat in the living room, looking at one another. Finally, Gaara broke the silence. "We've uncovered some secrets about the alter in your dreams." Mouth slightly agape, Tsumiko quickly looked from him, to the other two, and back to him, fidgeting in her seat. "I already told them everything."

"Tsumiko, why didn't you tell us?" Temari's hurt voice stung like a knife in Tsumiko's chest.

"I-I.. I was just.." she looked to the floor, not able to find the words.

"Tsumi, you're like family to us," Kankuro sat with his hood removed, a habit of late, and leaned with his elbows on his knees. "You're problems are our problems."

"I..."

_Don't falter now, Tsumiko._

"I thank you, really. But there is not much that you will be able to do-"

"Wrong," his voice cut in. "There is something we can do."

Tsumiko was drawing a blank. Thinking as hard as she could, there was no possible actions they could take to help her. Unless...

"_And what, heavens forbid, do you intend to do to help us?_"

They all blinked at Tsumiko, who immediately slapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide open. _That scared me..._ she thought to herself.

_My apologies. But I want to know what they found out._

_I understand. _Setting her hands neatly in her lap, she looked to the three of them that sat around her. "What is it that you found out?"

Gaara crossed his arms and looked at her. "That alter in your dreams is a means of locking things way. It became a forbidden jutsu sometime within the last century. Before then, it was used by long dead civilizations in temples and the such to seal demons, devils, anything the sealer wanted - even gods..."

Tsumiko could feel a torrent of emotion flood through her. _Gods..?_ she could heard the shadow whisper.

"It was designed," Gaara continued. "...to erase from the mind all memory of what was being sealed and kill it over time. But just as when jinjuuriki die and the tailed-beast dies, it will die. But if whatever was sealed inside of you dies first, you will too."

She just stared at him, a hand firmly planted on the core of her stomach. (This is where she believed the shadow was housed in.) "But then... how does that explain my... my..."

"Your coming back all those times?" She nodded. "No one knows. The seal would kill whoever before they got too far into the research. Sometimes the subject would die from the sealing itself, let alone survive until all the last death. All they know is that it draws upon the life force of the thing being sealed."

_I'm a 'she', thank you. Not a 'thing'. I'm definitely not a 'thing'._

Tsumiko gave a half-hearted grin, looking to the floor off to the side. "The shadow says it is a 'she'."

Temari blinked at her in surprise. "Does it- _she- _she actually talk to you?"

She nodded, "Mmhm. After what Kento did in the forest, I-"

"Kento? You mean in the ocean, right?" Kankuro was getting confuse.

Tsumiko slowly shook her head, shifting her gaze to her hands in her lap once again. "He paid off the Akatsuki to kidnap me, tipping them if they didn't hurt me."

"Was he trying to convince you to run away with him or something..?" it was Kankuro's turn to lean back and cross his arms.

Again, she shook her head. "No. He wanted to kill me with his own hands. And he did."

Gaara's eyes shot to her. "What happened?" his voice was low and angry.

"H-He cornered me in the forest," she held up her hands and looked at them. "In his palm was a ball of light and sparked and sounded like morning birds."

"Could it have been Hatake's Chidori, you think?" Temari asked outloud.

"Chi...dori..?" Tsumiko tipped her head to the side.

"It's also called the Lightning Blade or One Thousand Birds," Temari said. Tsumiko nodded.

"What number does that make?" Gaara ramdomly asked?

The others gave him an odd look before she answered with, "Five. No... Six...?" _It is five._ Tsumiko nodded. "Yes, five."

"Five what?" Kankuro said.

"Five deaths," Tsumiko said with a wide smile.

Temari jerked forward. "What!?"

"You say that with such glee, Tsumi," Kankuro sighed, dropping his head.

She quickly went to defend herself. "I-I just. It is just that I only have three seals left until the alter is complete!"

"Tsumiko," Gaara said.

"Hm?"

"Does the shadow know what she is or why she was sealed within you?"

Tsumiko waited for the answer. "She says that her memory is... something like a puzzle. It is pretty choppy in some places and she only remembers parts of others. She says that the more of the seal that is released, the more she remembers. Oh! Hold on..."

Tsumiko closed her eyes, an expression more cute than serious on her face. When she opened them, crimson orbs were staring back at them, a light smirk touching her lips. Kankuro jumped to his feet, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"YOU!"

"_Me? So it is. I am sorry for the sudden interruption, but I feel as though this would be a more convenient way of communicate._" Gaara opened his mouth to say something. "_Do not worry. The child is safe and sound._" When he gave an approving nod, she continued. "_When you first retrieved Tsumiko from the tank, that is when the clock started ticking. My outburst when we first met was my trying to recollect who and what I am. And for that, I apologize. I've been doing my best to make this whole situation as comfortable as possible. But of course, nothing comes for free._"

"What do you mean?"

"_For every comfort a give her, the clock's time shortens. Luckily for this scenario, as horrid as this sound, she's been dying rather quickly._"

"How much time is left?"

"_We have until the Time of Encounter._"

"When is that?"

"_The Time of Encounter is a prophesied event from long before the Child's time, during the heydays of the Twilight Kingdom. I do not quiet remember what this event was supposed to be or when, exactly, but it has been confirmed that she is the one to carry it out. And if memory serves me justice, then she is the only one to have made it this far in the sealing process._"

"So wait..." Kankuro was pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to make sense of all of it. "What happens when the seal is broken. Are you released or something?"

"_Well. Yes and no. Yes, in the case that my abilities will return entirely and I'll be able to do everything in with a sense of normalcy , and no in the sense that I won't be 'released'. One thing they didn't tell you is that once the seal has been set, there is no true separation of host and what's sealed within them._"

Gaara sat staring at the floor. "Do you know who did this?"

"_Of course! That damn basterd, Kento! He's been the bane of our existence since the very start. He put us in the tank, openly admitted to erasing both our memories, and then continued to purposely kill us - a _second_ time!_"

"Wait. He- in the ocean, he- I thought that-"

"It wasn't an accident, was it?" Temari said after clamping a hand over Kankuro's mouth.

Tsumiko shook her head, "_That it was not._"

"Do you know where to find him?" the tone of Gaara's voice was so deadly it could make anyone shiver.

"_But if course, good sir,_" a dark grin played her lips._  
_


	22. Step Twenty-two

**A/N:** This is it, guys! Next one will be the last! I'm so sad to see it end... But that's okay. There will always be another. I have definitions for the words the the * at the very end in case y'all don't know what they mean. If you guys have any ideas for me for another story, shoot it my way and I'll give it a shot. Anyways, join me in the feels and feel my pain. Enjoy.

**Discalimer: I do not own Naruto.**

There was a frantic knock on the door. A sigh sounded as Kankuro got up from his seat, walking with heavy steps towards it. He was still trying to wrap his mind around everything the shadow had been telling them. Swinging it open, he looked out at the ninja that stood on the other side.

"What do you want? We're kind of busy?" came Kankuro's bored tone.

From their seats in the living room, Tsumiko, who was graciously given back control of her body at long last, could only hear the mumbles of the man's panicked voice.

"What!? ... O-okay. ... Okay calm down," Kankuro opened the door and invited the man inside, who quickly took the offer and ran in.

"Kazekage-sama!" he yelled, sounding winded as he knelt before Gaara. "The villages to the south... are under attack!"

Gaara immediately jumped to feet, on the offensive. "Who's the attacker?"

At first guess, he would have thought an attack of revenge by the Akatsuki, but something in his stomach sank to the floor when the ninja said, "We don't know. But there's explosions and lightning everywhere. People are dying left and right. One after another, the villages are falling. There's been six already that were attacked, and from the pattern, their heading straight here."

"Lightning?" Temari questioned, slowly piecing things together.

"Kento," Tsumiko whispered, fingers touching her stomach in horror.

Gaara looked at her, an anger flaming deep inside him. Not only had that man attacked Tsumiko, but now his people, and he promised to himself that he would put an end to that demon before any more damage could be done. Without a second thought, he dashed out the door with the ninja following him close behind.

"Gaara!" Temari shouted, getting up and running after him without thinking.

Kankuro sighed. "Well, c'mon Tsumi. We best go, too," he said, kneeling on the ground for her to get on his back.

_I got this one, Tsumiko._ The shadow said to her. Patting Kankuro lightly on the shoulder, she smiled. "It is okay, Kankuro. I can do it this time."

He stood, nodding in a confused fashion, and said with a smirk, "Okay, just don't slow me down."

"_Wouldn't dream of it._"

It wasn't long until all three of them caught up to Gaara. Kankuro was slightly out of breath, but refused to show it. In the distance, there was a looming black cloud that hovering in the sky above a small village just south a ways from Sunagakure. From it, eerie white lightning flashed again and again and a chilling gush of wind made Tsumiko shiver at it's touch. The sent of burning wood opposed the cold, though. The closer they got, she became able to see her breath when she exhaled, yet ash fell like snow. The temperature was dropping quickly and it unnerved all of them. Even from a distance, blood curdling screams were heard and there was a massive panic as all the villagers were running away from their home, trampling over one another.

Tsumiko's heart nearly stopped when a spooked horse reared up and nearly killed a small child. A sigh of relief escaped her when a rock hard dome of sand encased the child and moved her away to a frantic mother. At the sight of the sand that was raging though the streets, saving this person and that one, the panic began to die down and Temari and Kankuro seized the opportunity to calm the citizens.

Everyone soon was making a bee-line for Suna upon instruction. Those who were able were to protect them along the way would do that and keep them safe. In the center of the village, Tsumiko was near tears at the utter destruction around her. Homes were on fire, and the ones that weren't were frozen beyond recognition. Blinding lightning strikes gave way to deafening cracks of thunder. From outside the central plaza, Gaara and the others sat staring in, barred by ice walls and lightning that insisted upon keeping them from getting in.

Kankuro was surrounded by walls of fire. They licked the sky with such a hunger as they consumed the buildings around him. Though the random gaps in the flame, he could see in to where Tsumiko stood. Never once had he imagined himself in such am impossible situation as this. The heat was too much for his chakra strings to control the puppets at full capacity. Glass was falling like rain, the windows shattering one by one at the intense heat. Beyond his foul-walled prison, he could hear the thunder crash again and again and he racked his brain for any means of escaping.

With a solid fist, Gaara pounded on the frozen wall that separated him form Tsumiko. Through it, he could see her looking around, confused and scared. With an angry growl, he hit the wall again and another flash of lightning stuck right in front of her, the force shook the ground and knocked her off her feet. When his vision returned, Tsumiko was getting to her feet, staring at someone that was standing before her. Through the ice, Gaara could only make out partial details, but nothing definite. But he didn't need to know the details to know who it was.

Any time Temari tried entering the plaza, a flash of lighting would force her back. She sat staring at Tsumiko from where she stood, not moving until she had thought a means of action that didn't lead to her getting toast. There was flashes of white light and booming thunder and after one particularly large flash, there was a man standing before Tsumiko. Instantly, she recognized the white-suited man as Kento and she gritted her teeth. So this is what he wanted all along? To corner her where she couldn't escape?

Tsumiko stood, the shockwave of the last bolt of lightning was immense enough to knock her off her feet. Before her stood Kento, a dark look of disdain plastered to his face. Her eyes widened in horror and she took a couple steps back. In her terror, her knees knocked together.

"Kento," she whispered his name so soft with such fright that it caused him to look at her with disgust.

"Wrong, bitch," he hissed. With a chuckle, he grinned, taking slow deliberate steps toward her. "The name's *Shinjuu. Kento only ever existed in your pathetic, fucked up excuse for a life."

_Shinjuu..? I know that name... but- but how!?_

"What? Wh-What are you are talking about?" she whimpered, taking equal steps back.

"I'm talking about how you fucking stole from me the only thing I've ever wanted. Everything you have should be _mine_!"

"I-I do not-"

"Don't give me that bullshit. Sure maybe, you lost your memory, but that heartless _thing_ inside you should know exactly what the hell I'm talking about," his words cut deep and he continued to advance upon her. As the fury of his voice increased, so did the frequency of the lightning.

Tsumiko shook her head in confusion. Her hands were folded into each other, hovering over her face in a shy manner. "I do not know," she cried as her back hit the wall of a frozen house.

Shinjuu stopped. "Oh yeah, that's right," he smirked in sudden realization, stopping a few feet away from her. "You don't know anything, huh? After all-" he looked her straight in the eye. "-you were just a babe when you were chosen."

"Ch-chosen?" her tears couldn't decided if they wanted to freeze on the spot or evaporate in midair.

"Yeah! Chosen for the fate that should have been mine," a slow hand reached up, caressing the frame of the dark tinted sunglasses. "A fate that was mine to begin with, you thieving whore."

"I know not what you are talking about..."

_I... I don't know what he means, either. Though i feel as though I should..._

"Of _course_ you don't. My people, for the longest time, carried on the tradition of housing the spirit of the Almighty Goddess *Tenmei. My people were the only ones meant to have that honor. But then you disgusting _humans_ went and took the only thing we had left!"

"H-Humans? Does that mean..?"

He advanced the last couple of feet, and placed a hand on either side of her face. "It's your kind that made us, the *Tennin, fall from grace. It was your kind that took from us the only thing we had. One by one, they committed *seppuku. And one by one, they left me all alone."

_What is going on!?_ the frantic nature of the shadow was starting to affect Tsumiko. In her chest, she could feel her heart threatening to beat right out of her chest. With a single hand, he removed his shades to reveal silver colored eyes. Ones that mimicked Tsumiko's very own.

"You know..." he began, tossing the shades over his shoulder and repositioning himself against the wall "I'm the one that named you after the Fall of the Goddess. She entrusted you to me, long before history can even recall. Those memories you have about your 'parents' are fake. About the Kingdom of Twilight are fake. Everything you thought you knew is all fake. I implanted those memories into you so long ago that you even went and forgot them too. Oh, and that 'seal' bullshit is a fake, too. The book they found all that information in was written by me long ago and planted in a means of false hope to whatever sad sap took you in.

"All that I've done was to ensure that you wouldn't encourage a timeline that wasn't meant to exist. Humans have such a knack for changing fate where it was never meant to change. But regardless, the Time of Encounter has arrived, so it was foretold to me by the Goddess I was born to protect. She _is_ to be reborn, and I will see to it that She makes it safely into this world."

There was a coldness creeping up Tsumiko's ankles, reminiscent of Gaara's sand. Her heart ached, and she looked past Shinjuu, searching for them. There was a wall of flame to the left. The the right, Temari stood gazing in, a hopeless look of frustration on her face. A second wall of ice blocked the center path. Behind it, she could see Gaara's red hair, his sand trying to penetrate the frozen prison.

_He's got them all trapped..._ the shadow's worried tone echoed in her head.

"And where are you looking," Shinjuu turned her head to look at him, pinching her face between him fingers. Again, she seen eyes exactly like hers, only colder, darker.

By now, the cold chill was at her thighs. Though Tsumiko refused to look down, she knew what it was. "Only at you," she said, a little more confident than she had intended.

This had surprised Shinjuu, and he smirked and whispered into her ear, "Don't lie to me, bitch," Pushing off the wall, he staggered back a couple steps. "Sinners don't deserve to be in the presence of a holy being like me, let alone the Goddess. Soon, She will be released from Her prison and will rule again just as She should," he smirked. "And hopefully you truly die in the process this time.

* * *

* Shinjuu translates into "double suicide" or "lovers' suicide"

* Tenmei has a plethora of definitions, from aurora, to karma, to fate and/or destiny

* Tennin are basically the angels of Japanese lore, divine messengers

* Seppuku is an "honorable death" of to which one clears their dishonor by disemboweling oneself and basically committing suicide. It's a small part of the samurai's "code of honor", the Bushido.


	23. Step Twenty-three

**A/N: **HI GUYZZ! This is the very LAST CHAPTER! HOWEVER! If you guys want me write an epilogue, I need some feedback. Oh! All these feels!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

_"What makes you so goddamn special?" a harsh voice echoed in Tsumiko's mind. _

_Her forced slumber was disturbed the very moment that the meadow didn't appear. Instead, an empty blackness surrounded her all around. In a sense, it reminded her of the nightmares she suffered through, knowingly on Gaara's behalf. This dense darkness that pressed on her body mind and soul with such a force that Tsumiko thought she'd be crushed. She wanted nothing more than to curl up and cry from the pain that coursed through her._

_"Why did the Goddess choose you over me?" there was that voice again._

_Tsumiko shivered, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to keep warm. Was darkness cold? She stood from her position on her knees, a certain heaviness pushing against her. When she finally made it to her feet, shivering again, she looked around. There was absolutely nothing there - only her and the haunting voice._

_"Ken- No... Shinjuu... Why? Why are you doing all this? Why do you hate me so?"_

_"Why?" his sharp voice cut across from behind her. Tsumiko spun around to meet his gaze, but at the last moment, he disappeared. "Why, you ask," again from behind her._

_Again, she spun around to catch a glimpse of him. "Shinjuu, please. I want to understand-"_

_"Understand what? Me? My pain? The torment I've suffered on your behalf?"_

_He was standing now in plain sight in front of Tsumiko. There was a chord that was struck in Tsumiko's heart at the look on his face. There was such hurt in his eyes. All those years of solitary strife showed in those silver eyes. In his hand was a shifting darkness, swirls and shifting in his grip like a serpent would._

_"Might I... ask you one thing?" she said quietly._

_"And what might that be?" he sounded as though he was mocking her, though his curiosity betrayed him._

_"Who am I really?" she took a fearless step toward him, and continued to until she stood just inches away._

_He looked down at her with a disgusted look, debating what he should do. "You're the only reason I'm alive."_

_"And is that such a bad thing?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because you took everything from me, and here I am, watching over you."_

_"If you are to watch over me, then why do you kill me?"_

_"Because the Goddess Tenmei is a generous, merciless goddess. Nothing but utter destruction will be accepted for Her rebirth."_

_She touched the area over her heart. "Is the shadow sealed within me the Goddess?"_

_"No."_

_Now she was confused. "If it is not She, then..."_

_"She is the shadow of the what the Goddess used to be. Never would She sink so low as to mingle with the darkness."_

_"I see... But then, who am I?"_

_"You are the beginning... and the end. In another life, I would have called you my lover, but no more. You and she are not the same. Before then, you were called the Mother Matron, the very first High Priestess of my kind. For you see... Tennin don't die. We are simply reborn into another body when our aged bones no longer suit their purpose."_

_"But then why am I human?"_

_"Terah - sweet, innocent, naive Terah - believed in the human race. When she knew her time was coming, she asked the Goddess to be reborn into a human. She wanted to share with them the light that only the Tennin knew and to teach their kind the meaning of love and what it took to protect loved ones. And the Goddess agreed." The darkness swirling in his hand grow more violent the more he talked. Shinjuu was no longer looking at her, but at the darkness below them. "But even for someone like Her, it was a daunting task."_

_"She used all her power to grant Terah's wish," the pieces were slowly starting to come together._

_"And was forced to regather her strength inside Terah's infant body. Before She left, the Goddess bid me watch over her until the Time of Encounter when she would be reborn. But every time I looked at her, I could not see the woman I once loved."_

_"So you named me what you thought appropriate."_

_"You killed the Goddess, or so everyone whispered behind our backs. I was shunned by everyone, being burdened with you."_

_"If I was such a burden, then why didn't you abandon me somewhere in this world?"_

_"I could not... let them both die before her dreams came to light."_

_"You really loved her, huh?"_

_He almost made out to nod, but stopped himself, "Enough chatter. It's time I release Her from her chains." _

_"Do what you must," Tsumiko said bravely, holding out her arms wide as an invitation to him._

_With one swift motion, the darkness jumped from his hand and pierced Tsumiko through the heart. __She sputtered, the taste of metal in her mouth nearly choking her as she fell to her knees. Tsumiko's consciousness was fading out, the pounding in her ears only but a reminder of the strain her bleeding heart was going through. This was the end, right? No more pain to suffer through? Right? The darkness surrounding her and Shinjuu began to swallow her vision. She smiled to herself, a single tear falling, "I'm so sorry, Gaara-kun..."_

* * *

The ice that stood between Gaara and Tsumiko was finally melting - and at a fast pace. To his right, the flame smoldered and exposed Kankuro, who quickly took the opportunity to leap through and out of the heat. To his left, the lightning finally stopped and Temari was able to safely cross the ally to meet her brothers.

"What's going on," Kankuro was obviously in a state of fatigue.

"Kento, he-" Temari clenched her fist. "I'm not sure what he's doing to her, but it doesn't look good."

All this time, Gaara didn't say a word. Using the sand to chip away at the melting ice faster, then finally forced it to crack and shatter. Not wasting even a second, he jumped through. Against the far side of the plaza, they could see Tsumiko crystallized in a chunk of ice. Placing a single hand on it, he gazed at her. The expresstion she wore was so serene, it was almost painful to look at.

"What is he doing to you?" he whispered almost inaudibly.

There was a unnatural cold that swept through the village, and with it, all the houses ceased to burn and the rolling thunder was fading into the distance, but the cold stayed. A cold something landed on the tip of Gaara's nose.

"Is this... snow...?" Temari looked up in bewilderment to see thousands of tiny white flecks falling from the sky.

"How the hell is it snowing in the middle of the desert?" Kankuro caught a couple in the palm of his gloved hand.

"The snow is made from the holy water of our land," a voice spoke out from behind them. "It was.. the Goddess' favorite."

"Kento," Gaara git his teeth, having to restrain the urge to kill the man.

The shook his head, his voice calm. "Kento never existed. Or rather... Kento existed only in my mind, a way to try in forget who I once was..."

"What are you talking about?" Gaara was anything but calm.

"Don't worry. The girl's fine, just sleeping."

"And why should we trust you?" Kankuro spat.

Shinjuu chuckled lightly, hanging his head. "I wouldn't expect you to, really," he looked up to meet their gaze. Gaara's head flooded with emotion when he seen the silvery color of his eyes. "But if you don't believe me, ask Her," he said, pointing with a tired finger behind them.

They didn't drop their guard as they slowly turned to look at what he was referring to. From within Tsumiko's folded hands that hovered over her chest, frozen inside the ice, a bright, warm light began to emanate. It was so bright, in fact, that the three of them had to shield their eyes from its intensity. As it began to fade, and they could begin to see again, they could see the silhouette of a person, standing at full height. In their arms was another person, hanging limply. The light continued to fade, revealing Tsumiko in the arms of a gorgeous woman. Shinjuu knelt before Her, bowing his head.

Her long hair outlined her body perfectly, glowing with the radiant color of the full moon. A simple, white gown complimented smooth, porcelain skin, gold accenting the hemming. She had a smile that felt like sun rays and eyes as green as a forest. Centered on her forehead was a crystalline gem, as red as flame. She moved as gracefully as the ocean and seemingly sang when she spoke.

"She is just asleep, young Kazekage, all tired out form the ordeal," she smiled at him.

He didn't know how to respond, and struggled to form the word to reply. With a not-so-gentle nudge to the back from Kankuro, who was also doing the some, did the words finally find him. "A-Are you the Goddess Tenmei?"

She nodded, giggling. "That I am," She said as she placed Tsumiko in his arms and tuned to look at Shinjuu in one fluid motion. "You, however, I am quite ashamed of."

He turned his head away, not being able to properly look at Her. "My apologies, Your Eminence."

She let out an inaudible sigh and placed a calming hand on his head. "It is not I that you should be apologizing to, Shinjuu. You know this." She knelt down and took his face in her hands, encouraging him to look at her. "Has so many a century passed that your solidarity has clouded your mind with such darkness?"

A sob escaped him as he let Her bare judgement on him. "Yes," was spoken softly.

"I see. Are you willing to accept the punishment for your actions?"

"Yes."

In his arms, Gaara was splitting his attention between their conversation and an evaluation of Tsumiko's condition. He had her laid out on the ground, her head gently propped against his knee. Try as he might, he couldn't get her to awaken. Temari was watching over his shoulder, growing frantic as well.

Tenmei stood to her full height and turned to look at the sleeping body. "Oh my... She really overdid herself, hm?" she said in thought as She placed a thoughtful hand to her cheek.

"What do you mean?" Kankuro asked, looking over Gaara's other shoulder.

"I mean that she was holding back the tears this entire time and hid her pain. All that time, I could feel it. She was a warrior in her own right."

She passed a hand over Tsumiko's face, gliding it down her body. "There is one left."

"One what?" Gaara was so worried that he was having a hard time thinking straight.

She smiled, standing once again. "Why, a single, floating orb, of course. The orb of light."

"But she's still..." Temari couldn't finish her sentence, tears threatening to fall.

"Oh, this one is the best of all," Tenmei giggled softly. "It does not involve her dying for an eighth time, but rather, being given life once again. This orb is the one of light... and love," she shot a scolding look at Shinjuu. "The one that Terah desperately hoped to give to this world."

"Terah?" Gaara had given the Goddess his full attention.

She nodded. "Terah was the most revered Tennin of all, kind and gentle. She was the last to be given life and the first to make a difference. Everything she did was for the betterment others, never once did she ever think of herself. And so Terah created a way to test the fruit she sowed into Humanity, Gaara," She looked him in the eye with a playful smile gracing her lips. "Can you fulfill her dreams?"

"What can I..." the cogs where slowly clicking together, and then it suddenly hit him. He nodded. "Yes."

Placing Her hand on Shinjuu's head, She smiled again at the red-haired boy. "Take care of her, young Kazekage of the Sand," Her words echoed across the plaza as both she and that other guy dissipated in specks of light and into the cloudy sky above. In his ear, Gaara heard Her whisper in a faint voice, "And don't worry about Shinjuu. I'll see to it that he is properly punished."

"What did we just witness?" Kankuro was looking upward in disbelief.

"I will keep my word to you," Gaara whispered. He looked down at the young woman in his arms, a sort of choking sensation nagging at his throat.

Her face was so peaceful, for a moment, he forgot that there ever was a thing called evil and about the pain that the world caused others. He forgot his own pain, the raging sorrow that he went through. He smiled to himself as he looked at her. To him, all that was worth it. Sitting her up a bit more, Gaara took her face in his hand and turned it to look at him. At first, he was a bit hesitant. Would it really work? He inhaled, exhaled and tried to calm his nerves. Why was this so difficult? It wasn't like he had never done it before. Inhaling one last time, he placed his lips against hers.

It started with one drop, then another, and another. As the cold rain began pouring down upon them, there was something warm erupting from inside him. There was a wind that swirled around them, encircling them. What remained of the snow flakes were swept up and flowed the wind wherever it went, away and out of the desert. Though the rain still fell, rays of light began breaking through the dark clouds.

And slowly, ever so slowly, did Tsumiko's eyes flutter open and left Gaara staring into beautiful silver eyes. His own started to whelm with tears as he looked at her, though the rain hid it well. With a light, gentle touch, she placed her hand on his cheek and smiled. "I am so sorry Gaara. I know I scared you. But it is over now. There will be no need to be frightened any longer."

He nodded, and quickly puller her into a tight embrace. She adjusted herself upon her knees and returned it with a tender hug, allowing him to bury his face in her nape.

Again, she whispered, "I am sorry." into his ear.

He sat back, holding her at arm's length and looked her in the eye. "Never scare me like that again," he said, almost playful, but dead serious.

She smiled, tilting her head to the side, eyes closed. "Never will I have to again."

"Aw! I can't take it anymore!" Kankuro sank to him knees and hugged them both.

Temari refused to be left out and wrapped her arms around them too. "Why are you guys so- so..." she was holding back the tears.

Tsumiko giggled, looking at Temari. "Why are we what?"

Gaara kissed her cheek. "Adorable." She blushed heavily, looking at his with wide eyes. He smiled in response, "Let's go home, Tsumiko."

"Mm," she nodded. "Let's."


End file.
